Just Pretend!
by ectodreaming
Summary: Romano liked Emma- a lot. Except her stupid big brother was too overprotective (and, okay, a little scary)! He wouldn't allow any guy near her- unless they weren't romantically interested in Emma. So, Romano decided to pretend to be gay, with the help of Antonio, in hopes of getting Emma to fall in love with him. Perfect plan, right?
1. Chapter 1

**ok it's been a while since i've made really fluffy multi-chaptered fics with LOTS of humor so :)**

* * *

Romano Vargas had a huge problem.

He scowled at the plate of pasta in front of him. Emma's older brother was _relentless_. Every single time Romano tried to talk to Emma- woo her and ask her out on a date- fucking _Tim_ would show up. Tim with the small vertical scar by the right side of his large forehead. Tim with the stupid blonde, spiked-up hair. Tim with the scary (ahem, _ugly_) expression on his face every time Romano was around his younger sister.

"Don't look so down, Roma!" Antonio exclaimed with a grin. "I'll pay for your pasta," he offered when he realized that the Italian wasn't going to stop frowning any time soon.

"Tim is such a fucking bastard," Romano grumbled, stabbing his pasta with his fork. He ungracefully stuffed it in his mouth and chewed.

"He didn't let you to talk to Emma again?" Antonio guessed, furrowing his eyebrows. He pushed his napkin towards the angry Italian.

"He never lets anyone talk to her," answered Romano. He took the napkin and wiped his chin. "How the hell am I going to make her my girlfriend now?"

"He lets Feliks talk to her," Antonio told him after a moment. The Spaniard took a spoonful of paella as he looked over the menu. Maybe he should get some churros-

"Who?"

"That guy from Poland," his friend answered. Antonio picked up the menu to get a closer look. "He's new-"

"That gay guy?" asked Romano. He had him in his math class, and he was one noisy bastard.

"Um, I don't know if he's gay," Antonio scratched the side of his head in confusion.

But Romano wasn't listening. He was conjuring up a strategy to slip under Tim's radar in order to win Emma's heart. "I have a plan."

The Spaniard allowed his gaze to slip from the dessert options. "Okay," he said slowly.

"Don't look at me like that, bastard! I haven't said anything yet!" Romano exclaimed.

Antonio blinked, an amused smile playing on his lips. "I wasn't-"

"_Anyway_," Romano cut, annoyed at his friend's unwavering smile, "I'm going to pretend I'm gay."

At this, Antonio raised his eyebrows and parted in his lips in surprise. "W-"

"Wait," Romano raised a hand to stop the questions from materializing, "before you ask anything, I'm doing this to test out my theory. And if it works, then I'll make her fall in love with me while I'm pretending to be gay, and when she does, I'll tell her that I'm bisexual or something." He waited for Antonio to say something.

"I'm going to order churros," Antonio said.

* * *

The next day, the plan was in action.

Romano walked up to Emma during their lunch break and, as expected, Tim showed up just as he was about to tap her shoulder.

"Romano," he greeted. His backpack was hanging on one shoulder, both hands pushed inside his sweater's pockets as he stared down at the shorter male.

"Tim." Romano scowled, eyebrows dipping down. His hands curled into fists at his sides. "I need to talk to Emma," he said.

"She's busy," Tim replied. When Romano peered over his shoulder, he swore that Tim's mouth twitched. Emma was watching them curiously, with a few of her friends (which were all females, obviously) whispering with one another.

"No, she isn't," Romano said. He stepped around Tim, and was immediately blocked. The Italian sighed in exasperation.

"Why do you want to talk to her?"

"Do I need to have a reason?" Romano asked sarcastically. For a moment, he forgot that he was supposed to act gay in front of Tim- but then Feliks came around and plopped down beside Emma and then- "M-my boyfriend needs her notes," he suddenly blurted out.

No one spoke for what seemed like forever- when in reality, it was only a couple of seconds. Romano swallowed nervously, and Tim lifted an eyebrow in curiosity. The girls and Feliks were listening in on their conversation as well.

"Your boyfriend?"

"Yeah," Romano felt his hands go clammy. Oh _god_, who was going to be his boyfriend? Holy _fuck_, he didn't think this through. _Ohmygodohmygod_\- "A- Emma, you know Antonio, don't you?" He peeked over Tim's shoulder again, and this time, Tim didn't block him.

Her pretty green eyes blinked in surprise, and she nodded, silky blonde hair bouncing. Damn- Romano swallowed again. Alright, if he wanted Emma to be his girlfriend, then he would do anything. Really, _anything_. "He needs your notes."

"For chemistry?" she asked in her sweet, lovely voice.

"Um- I d-don't know," stammered Romano. Oh man, when she looked directly at him like that- his cheeks turned red. "The stupid idiot didn't tell me which subject the notes were for."

She giggled- _giggled_, damn it- and smiled that breathtaking smile. Romano's heart was preparing to leap out of his chest. "That's the only class I have with him."

"Oh," muttered Romano. Emma rummaged through her schoolbag, and Tim _actually stepped aside_ for Romano to pass. Romano made his way towards Emma, puffing out his chest a bit because that was how the modern human male specie flirted. Fortunately (or unfortunately), the slight puffing of his chest did nothing to aggravate Tim.

It was a good sign. For now.

"Thanks," Romano sent her a charming smile, which made her friends swoon. But not Emma. She looked unaffected. Well, he'd do better next time. And he was certain that there would be many _next times_.

"No problem," she said back.

* * *

The text message was unexpected.

Antonio was walking back to his calculus class when his phone vibrated. Like most students in Hetalia Academy, he kept his phone on vibrate instead of turning it off. There were only a handful of students who thoroughly followed the school rules, and he was definitely not one of them. Antonio checked his message. It was from Roma!

_if people ask, tell them we're dating. i'll explain everything later bastard_

Um.

Antonio stopped in the middle of the hallway, holding his phone in one hand while he used the other to run his fingers through his messy hair. He wasn't against the idea, but maybe Roma should've asked him on a date first or something?

_where r u right now?_ Antonio sent the text and began walking the opposite way. He wouldn't mind skipping a few more minutes of calculus. He could borrow Feli's notes or just read the textbook. No problem.

_football field_, Romano replied a second later.

Antonio smiled and picked up his pace, _wait for me :-)_

A few minutes later, Antonio appeared at the football field, looking for Romano- his supposedly-boyfriend. When he spotted the dark curl sticking out by the end of the bleachers, he jogged up to him and sat down next to him. He easily grabbed Romano's sandwich and took a bite.

"So," Antonio started as he swallowed; Romano glared at him and took his sandwich back, "can you explain to me now?"

"Don't fucking eat my food, _jerk_," he seethed, spitting out the last word with as much venom as he could. God, he hated it when Antonio ate off of his food! Only he could do that with Antonio's food! Not the other way around, damn it! "And yeah, well," Romano fumbled with his words, looking away to glare into the distance. "I don't know how to act gay so I told Tim you're my boyfriend."

"Romaaa," whined Antonio, "I don't know how to act the part!"

"I don't care. Emma and her clique thinks you're my boyfriend, so you better fucking act like it," Romano told him. He took a bite from his sandwich, trying to think of a way to get into Emma's damned group of friends. Should he talk to Feliks? And then, he had Antonio as a "boyfriend" to worry about-

"How am I gonna do that?" Antonio continued to whine and look at Romano in desperate bewilderment. "And why are we doing this again?"

Romano raised his index finger. "I don't fucking care how you're going to pretend to act like my boyfriend and," he raised another finger, "we're doing this because I like Emma and Tim is dickwad."

"But Romaa-"

"Don't fucking _but_ me," Romano interjected. "You're doing this because you gave me the idea anyway."

"No I didn't!"

"Shut up, damn it," grumbled Romano. He punched Antonio on the shoulder, pushing him away. "And get to class. We'll talk about this later. Remember, you're my boyfriend and we're _dating_."

"But what am I going to tell them if they ask when we started dating?"

Romano rolled his eyes. "I really don't care."

"Okay," Antonio sat back and crossed his arms in contemplation. If he was in the same situation, he would've probably done the same- _plus_, there was no harm in helping out a friend! He reached out and ruffled Romano's hair, grinning determinedly. "Don't worry, Roma! You'll get Emma in no time!"

"I fucking know I will," Romano muttered. He slapped Antonio's hand away. "It's just her stupid brother that's always in the damn way."

Antonio laughed. "This plan's foolproof, I'm sure! And hey, Roma?" His eyes were glinting mischievously.

Romano sent him a hard stare. Stupid Spaniard was always unfazed.

"I'll walk you home later." With a wink, he jogged away, grinning the whole time.

Romano scowled. The bastard always walked him home anyway! He didn't need to tell him that!


	2. Chapter 2

**let's see if i can update each day of my thanksgiving break! Thanks for reading!  
**

**IMPORTANT NOTES:**

**-Antonio (Spain), Francis (France), Gilbert (Prussia), Tim (Netherlands), Alfred ('murica), and Alice (fem!England) are seniors at the academy  
-Romano, Feli (Italy), Ludwig (Germany), Emma (Belgium), Feliks (Poland) are juniors  
-football = soccer (i'm sorry i just normally refer to "soccer" as "football")  
-if I ever mention american football, i'll refer to it as "american football"**

* * *

Antonio was a well-known football player. Romano was a well-known . . . uh, loner? Football player? Artist? A grumpy loner, football player, artist? Yeah, something like that.

Anyway, when the news of Antonio and Romano's "relationship" spread around the academy, the reactions were almost hilarious. Almost. Girls who crushed on Antonio were devastated; some guys celebrated; and their friends had a mix of "WTF" and "I knew it" reactions.

It was really, almost hilarious. Except, Romano didn't find any of it funny.

"What do you mean you fucking _knew it_?" he exploded at his younger twin. They were having their lunch break within the cafeteria, and though Romano normally ate out by the football field, the weather didn't cooperate with him today. It sucked even more because Emma's lunch schedule didn't match his for the day.

Feliciano cowered a little behind his macho German boyfriend, whom Romano _loathed_ by the way, and repeated his explanation. "W-well, big brother Toni is always at our place, and he's always cooking for you and you guys are always inside your ro-"

"What do you _think_ we're doing up in my room? Fucking around?" Romano roared, looking as if he was about to flip the cafeteria table upside down. As much as he adored his stupid twin, he couldn't help but find Feli a little irritating at times like these. But perhaps his temper was shorter than usual because _he couldn't see Emma_. He just wanted her to be his girlfriend- was that so much to ask for?

"Yes?" squeaked Feli, and Ludwig sat up tensely.

"What do you mean _yes_," hissed Romano. Feli jumped up and was about to reply when Antonio slipped into the seat next to Romano, smiling brightly at the other occupants of the table and ignoring the blatantly negative atmosphere surrounding the group.

"Hola," he greeted. Antonio spotted Romano's lunch (he always had better meals than the Spaniard! Antonio never had time to make his food), and his hands immediately dove in to grab them- but the angry Roma slapped his hands away.

"What did I fucking tell you about eating _my _food?" Romano glared at him.

"But I'm hungry," Antonio argued, placing his elbow on the table and the side of his head on his palm, while he watched Romano frown at him.

"Your fault," Romano replied.

"Here, Toni!" Feliciano happily pushed his lunch towards Antonio. "I really love fratello's cooking, but we have more at home!"

"Gracias, Feli! Sharing is caring, after all," Antonio sang. Romano rolled his eyes, and Ludwig simply ate his lunch in feigned peace (where the hell was Honda when you need him?). He took a forkful of pasta and pushed the meal back to the younger Vargas.

"You don't like it?" asked Feli, tilting his head a bit.

"I love it!"

"Why don't you have more?" he asked.

"I don't want to eat _all_ of your lunch," Antonio explained with a soft smile. He earned a smack on the back of his head, "_Ay_!"

"You're such an asshole," Romano started, "you eat _all_ of my food without my permission and stupid Feli's giving you his food and you only take a _bite_."

The Spaniard laughed sheepishly. "Lo siento?"

"Fuck you," Romano growled. He stabbed his pasta with ardor.

"Aww, fratello!" giggled Feliciano, a smile hiding behind his hands, "Is this your first fight with big brother Toni?"

"We fight all the fucking time," answered Romano, ignoring Antonio's teasing grin. Why the fuck was Antonio being extra annoying today? Jerk. Dipshit. Bastard.

"No- I meant, as a couple!"

"Oh." Suddenly, Romano felt too aware of Antonio's bastard-presence, and the way everyone appeared to _watch_ them. He stabbed his pasta again, preparing a huge bite to prolong his thinking time. "Yeah, well, everything feels the same. Just so you know." He chewed his pasta and Antonio produced some napkins from his pockets.

"Yeah, doesn't feel like anything changed," Antonio agreed. Romano took the napkins from him without saying his thanks, but Antonio smiled anyway. Yup. Everything was the same.

* * *

When Emma heard Romano call Antonio his boyfriend, she was a little . . . upset?

She couldn't help it! Like many of the other female students, they were hoping to capture his heart! He was simply so charming, and lovable, and handsome, and . . . perfect. She sighed through her nose, shoulders sagging while she waited for Antonio to enter their chemistry class.

Well, it was okay. She wouldn't do anything to ruin his happiness- but would she ever find someone else as great as Antonio? Probably not. She didn't know. Emma beamed politely at the other students who greeted her, and she was glad that her brother wasn't here.

Though she loved him dearly, she couldn't advance in the romantic sense of life- and it was really, really pissing her off. Because of Tim, she didn't have a chance with Antonio!

Speaking of which, the subject of her affections stepped in class just as the bell rang, and he caught her eye and smiled brightly. Her heart fluttered a little, but she pushed them away. She would feel more upset later if she dared to hope that there would be something between them. Antonio seemed to be happy with Romano anyway, and she really, _really_ didn't want to be involved in any high school drama.

"Thanks for the notes, Em," Antonio placed the notes on her desk as he passed by, and then sat in the back with Gilbert. Everything was so normal. Everything felt normal- as if he and Romano weren't even _dating_.

Emma wondered what he did during lunch . . . was Romano with him? Did they eat together? It wouldn't be a surprise because they were always around each other, since the beginning of her sophomore year. It was around that time that Romano joined the football team and met Antonio. They became good friends after that.

She sighed again. She just hoped that this mini-heartbreak of hers happened for a very good reason.

* * *

"I'm skipping practice today," Romano told Antonio after school while he glared at the rain. It didn't stop, _at all_, and the only person he knew who enjoyed this damned weather was Alice, that cute British senior with glasses.

"Suit yourself," Antonio replied. He was tying his shoelaces, and glanced up to watch Romano frown. "Do you have an umbrella? Or anything to cover you while you walk back home?"

"I'll find something," Romano waved his hand dismissively. "I'm not a fucking _girl_, Antonio."

"I know that," he chuckled while he stood up. He peered at the gloomy weather, hands on his hips and backpack hanging off his shoulders. "I guess you'll just have to-"

"I'm sorry," Emma appeared behind them, out of the blue, with an umbrella in her hand. She looked shy: green eyes looking down at her feet while her cheeks were painted a faint red. "I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but I can, um, share my umbrella?"

Antonio glanced at Romano, who was probably dying a little bit with overflowing joy, and smiled gratefully at the girl in front of them. "If you don't mind having Roma around- and if Roma doesn't mind-"

"I don't mind," Romano instantaneously replied. This was his chance! His chance to woo Emma and make her fall in love! If things went smoothly, then he would have Emma in his arms by the end of the month!

"I don't mind either," she smiled sweetly, making Romano's pulse race. Antonio continued to smile, proud that Romano's plan was working (he always knew that Romano could do great things like make up plans to get girls to fall in love with him). He reached out and ruffled Romano's hair, making the younger male glare daggers at him.

"Have fun," he told them, winking at Romano, who was urging him to _go away_ with his amber eyes. Antonio laughed, pushing his hands in his pockets as he passed Emma. Her heart skipped a beat when she caught a little bit of Antonio's scent. _So manly_, she thought with an inward sigh.

Emma stared at Romano, and thought that maybe, her heartbreak over Antonio wouldn't last _too_ long. Romano seemed like a nice guy. And another male friend! How exhilarating! Her big brother finally stopped bothering her about Romano, now that he confirmed that Romano wasn't interested in her romantically (boo!). So maybe they could be good friends?

And maybe, just maybe, she could get a little close to Antonio. (Stop it, Emma! No high school drama, remember?!)


	3. Chapter 3

"When did you guys start dating?" Emma asked a week later. "No one really knows the details, and no one wanted to ask because they were scared of Roma." Recently, whenever there wasn't any football practice, Romano and Antonio found themselves in Emma's presence- which she eagerly shared. Antonio tried to give them space, he really did, but Emma would always pull him back into the conversation just as he was slipping away. He knew that Romano was getting antsy- but Antonio wasn't cockblocking on purpose!

"Monday last week," Romano replied while Antonio simultaneously answered, "Last Wednesday." They exchanged looks: Romano with his eyebrows dipped down and Antonio with his eyebrows raised.

"Last Wednesday," Romano corrected himself and, at the same time, Antonio said, "Monday last week."

"Oka-"

"Last week. We got together last week," Romano glared at Antonio, who smiled apologetically. Stupid Antonio!

"Hahaha, I'm getting old. Maybe this is what they call _senioritis_, you know?" Antonio laughed, rubbing the back of his head. "Anyway, I should head out first. I need to do something really urgent."

"Aw, Toni," Emma pouted a little (_oh _man_, she's so cute_, thought Romano), "you don't want to walk your boyfriend home?"

"I entrust his life in your hands," Antonio replied sincerely. "And it's nice to see Roma having other friends."

"Are you calling me a loner?" accused Romano, but the Spaniard just laughed and shook his head.

"I said no such thing, Roma," Antonio answered- and then Emma sighed slightly, unaware that she drew in both of her friends' attentions. "What's wrong?" Antonio asked.

"It's . . ." She wanted to say _it's nothing_, but Emma truly felt overwhelmed at the emotions playing in her chest. "I'm really envious of you two."

"Eh? What for?" Romano asked, back in his gentleman mode. According to Antonio, Romano was only like this around girls.

"You guys are just so . . . I don't know, _cute_ together. Perfect for each other, like, one-half plus one-half equals one," she explained with a tiny frown. Romano grabbed her hand. He didn't like seeing the frown on her pretty face, and he was about to say so, until he realized that his "boyfriend" was with them and he was believed to have no feelings for Emma.

"You'll find him. Maybe he's just . . . right in front of you," Romano said slowly. He swallowed nervously and dropped her hand. Damn, her hand was soft and silky and _squishy_. Did the rest of her skin feel like that? He couldn't wait to find out!

"He was," admitted Emma, sneaking a quick glance to the tall Spaniard walking beside her. He wasn't even looking at her! She avoided looking at them, pulse increasing when she felt a firm hand on her back. Maybe it was A- no, it was Roma's. But her heart didn't stop fluttering, and when he smiled at her, her ears felt warm. "It's okay though," she continued while Antonio clicked his tongue.

"I really forgot something," he stopped in his tracks and slipped his hand in his pocket, pulling out a crumpled piece of paper. "_Ay, mi mama_ is going to get angry if I don't buy the tomatoes! Look," Antonio pushed the piece of paper back into his pocket, "I'll see you guys tomorrow. Get home safely! And Roma, don't forget to walk Emma home, okay?"

"I know what to do, damn it," Romano scowled. Emma felt her heart tighten in her chest. It was as if Antonio was assigning Romano to take care of her. For a moment, she could pretend that Antonio was _her_ boyfriend, not Roma's. For just a _tiny_ moment, she felt like she was in complete bliss.

But reality came back when Antonio reached out to run his hand through Romano's hair, and Emma was biting the inside of her cheek and willing her feelings to go away because her friends were two great males, and she didn't want to break this relationship between them. She realized earlier on that this was Antonio's form of displaying his affection towards the grumpy Italian, while Romano would glare and swear at him but didn't mean anything by it.

She was envious. So, very envious.

And because of that, she was going to do her best to advance in the romantic sense of life. So what if Tim didn't like it! (Sorry, brother!)

* * *

The players of the Hetalia Academy's football team didn't treat Antonio and Romano any differently despite the two claiming that they were in a romantic relationship. In fact, the players often teased them, liking how Romano would fume at them and how Antonio would just laugh _with_ them.

"How come we never see you two kiss?" Alfred, an obnoxious senior, asked two weeks after the news hit the academy. He rubbed the towel on his face, and then settled his glasses back on the bridge of his nose.

"Roma doesn't like PDA," Antonio lied smoothly, nodding to a blushing Romano. "See, just the thought of it makes him- ow! Roma, what was that for!"

"Shut up," Romano growled, throwing his towel at Antonio. His scowl was back but his red cheeks remained. "And you, American _bastard_, take your nose out of my fucking business."

"Why don't you like PDA? No one cares," Alfred continued- this time, directing the question to Romano. The younger athlete curled his hands into fists while the Spaniard shook the towel out of his face.

"I told you," Antonio sighed, placing his hands on his hips as he gave Romano a glance, "he doesn't like PDA."

"So do you guys, like, make-out _big time_ when no one's around?"

"What the fuck is _that_ supposed to mean?" Romano questioned, crossing his arms over his chest angrily. Stupid American jerk. He should've stayed in American football (even though Alfred was actually good and beneficial for the team)!

"Yeah!" Antonio laughed, slinging an arm around Romano. "Yeah, we do. Right, Roma?"

"_Bastard_, why would I-" Romano stopped when nearly all of the athletes' eyes focused on them, and he bit out, "ugh, fine, yeah. Whatever."

"It's so rated R that it has to be hidden from the publ-"

"I think that's enough, Antonio," Romano hissed, elbowing him sharply in the stomach. Antonio doubled over._  
_

The sweaty locker room was quiet, extremely so, that when the door slammed open to reveal a loud red-eyed German, everyone jumped at the noise. Alfred let out a low whistle.

"TMI, bro," the American commented.

"There's never a TMI thing in my book!" Gilbert exclaimed, pulling a shirt over his head. "Let me hear it!"

"Er, Antonio and Roma-"

"It's nothing," Romano cut off, quickly pushing a hand on Alfred's mouth.

"Ja, I don't believe you," laughed Gilbert. He slipped into his shoes and fixed the laces with a tiny smirk. "But it won't be that hard to find out."

* * *

Gilbert was right. It wasn't hard to find out.

Because the whole academy seemed to know about the, er, "_rated R_" scenes that he and Antonio created when they weren't in public. Even Emma shied away whenever Romano and Antonio were together! Fucking damn it!

"This is all your fucking fault," Romano told Antonio when they sat a few tables away from Emma and her friends (and her brother). The weather was growing cold, and football season was halfway finished. The bleachers by the football field wasn't so inviting anymore. "Fix it."

"H-how? Can't I just treat you to some Italian restaurant?" Antonio whined. He was skipping calculus class again, but only for a few minutes. The textbook helped him more than the teacher did, in Antonio's opinion. His stomach silently groaned, and he licked his lips. When Romano distracted himself with Emma's beauty, Antonio grabbed the tuna sandwich from his hands and took a large, delicious bite.

"_Damn it_, Antonio," scowled Romano. Mio dio, what was _wrong_ with this bastard?! "Didn't I tell you-"

"Si, si," Antonio smiled. He caught Emma's eyes and then looked back at Romano with a suggestive smile. "I should take my leave now. And," he lowered his voice, catching Emma's gaze once again, "I think she's waiting for you, Roma." He stood up from his seat and ruffled Roma's hair once again. "Well, I'll see you later. Thanks for the sandwich!"

When Antonio left the table, Romano allowed his gaze to fall on Emma, whose attention was following Antonio. She sighed then, and- wait. _Wait_. What was that about? Romano slipped his attention from Emma, and then to Antonio. Antonio wasn't doing anything special . . . whatever. She _did_ mention that she was envious of them. Yeah, maybe that was it.

Romano took his lunch and slid away from his seat, moving towards Emma's table. He smiled easily, cheeks darkening when his eyes met Emma's green ones. "Antonio just left," he started to explain- but Emma was already making space for Romano. She patted the vacant space next to her, and Romano smiled gratefully (charmingly) before sitting down.

Tim didn't mind that Romano was shoulder-to-shoulder with Emma. He even nodded to Romano. The Italian wanted to strangle him; the bastard was so damn overprotective! He let out a quiet sigh, repressing his frustrations as Emma talked to the group.

"I know, like, math is _so_ stupid! We'll never use it!" Feliks exclaimed, earning agreement from the girls around the table.

"There's a new girl, have you heard? She just transferred from Ukraine! Her name's Kat!" another girl from the group gushed.

"What year is she in?" Feliks asked, looking around the cafeteria, "is she in our lunch break?"

"I don't know," the girl answered with a shrug of her shoulders, "but I heard that she has _humongous _boobs, and I was wondering if you guys saw her around. I wanna know if her stuff is real," the girl explained. "I mean, _look_ at mine-"

"So, Romano," cut Emma. She didn't like discussing _girl things_ in front of her brother. That would probably cause her brother to be more protective of her than he already was- and she did _not_ need more protecting. "Do you have football practice today?"

"Yeah," he answered, running his fingers through his hair. "Are you doing anything after school?"

Emma thought for a moment, and then shook her head. "Nope. Nothing."

"You wanna hang out?" When Tim shot him a look, Romano quickly added- with a blushing face, "I don't really want to go to football practice."

"Why not? Is Antonio not going, too?" Emma asked, tilting her head.

"T-that's not it," Romano cleared his throat, forcing the heat away from his face. "Antonio said something really stupid, and I just don't want to deal with the t-team today," he explained.

"What did he say?" asked Feliks, eyes glinting with curiosity- and perhaps some mischief?

"Uh, it's nothing," Romano took a bite from his sandwich. Fucking Antonio ate half of his lunch! He was going to pay later when he ambushed the bastard later tonight.

"Is it, like, about you guys doing H things when you two aren't in public?" Feliks asked.

Romano almost choked on his sandwich, and Emma immediately handed him her water bottle. He chugged it down his throat and breathed in deeply, exhaling largely. "The stupid bastard couldn't keep his fucking mouth shut," he muttered, earning surprised glances from the girls (except from Emma). They didn't think that Romano would swear in front of them, especially because he had never used such coarse language around them before.

Emma smiled sympathetically and placed a hand on his shoulder, rubbing it gently. "Okay, let's hang out later."

Romano had sighed in relief, sending her a smile of thanks even though he was jumping around inside.

* * *

Antonio was surprised to see Romano and Emma in front of his last period. They were chatting: Romano making some joke, and Emma laughing sweetly.

Huh, was Romano here to "break up" with him?

The thought wasn't appealing, but it wasn't _too_ unpleasant. After all, he and Romano would still be good friends after the plan succeeded . . . Antonio greeted them, smiling his bright smile and sending a wink to Romano. "What's up? We have football practice today; did Roma tell you that?"

"Yeah, but-"

"I'm skipping, bastard," Romano told him. "Because of what happened yesterday."

"Yesterday? What happened yesterday?" Antonio asked, shifting his weight on his other foot. Romano rolled his amber eyes.

"That thing with Alfred. You know," Romano paused, gesturing with his hands, "the, um, PDA and _those_ things."

The Spaniard continued to stare at him blankly, until finally- "_Ohh_. Oh! Okay. Yeah. Sure." He laughed, rubbing the back of his head while his green eyes darted around. Now that he mentioned it, all day today, Gilbert and Francis tried to get information about his, er, "sex life" with Romano, and gave him tips to make sex better- and it was just . . . really weird to think about doing that with Romano.

Not _disgusting_-weird, but just . . . weird. Like, maybe he would try it someday- oh _dio_, seriously, what was he thinking? Romano was such a sweetheart! Antonio would never violate him like that!

"-are you even listening?" Romano poked him in the chest. Antonio blinked in response. "You aren't," he scowled. "Anyway, tell them I'm sick."

"Are you heading home?" asked Antonio, furrowing his eyebrows while he crossed his arms.

"Nah, bella and I are going out somewhere," he said rather proudly, and again, he puffed his chest out a little (which Antonio found adorable).

Antonio chuckled, watching them go. "Have fun!" he called after them, noticing the way Romano's hand curled around Emma's wrist and how Emma blushed and bowed her head down with a soft smile on her face.

They looked cute together.

* * *

**thanks for reading guys! my mind is literally racing i just want to finish this story and yeah, i might update again soon... xx**


	4. Chapter 4

"I don't think Romano's gay," Tim expressed to his younger sister while she cooked breakfast for them one Saturday morning.

The news of Antonio and Romano's romantic relationship was slowly, _finally_, dying down after a few weeks, being replaced with the news of the Ukrainian transfer student with the big chest.

"So what if he isn't?" asked Emma, eyebrows scrunching. "And it's not like he's _not_ gay. I mean, he's dating Antonio!" She handed him a plate of cooked eggs and bacon.

"That doesn't mean anything," Tim argued gently. "There's no evidence to back up that they're even dating. They act the same way they've always been acting around each other."

Emma sighed, preparing herself to defend her friends. "Roma hates PDA, remember? And I think that their relationship is nice and comfortable."

"That doesn't mean anything," Tim repeated, stubborn. He stood up to grab two forks for his sister and himself. "I honestly believe that he's just pretending to get close to you."

"Well, it's working," Emma muttered. She placed the cooking utensils in the sink, deciding to clean them after she ate her breakfast with her brother. "I can take care of myself," she added, louder this time. "If you keep doing this, I might just rebel," she said lightly, though there was a hint of seriousness. Tim handed her a fork and she smiled thankfully.

"I'm just doing this because I don't want you to end up like our mom," Tim murmured, shoulders sagging. Emma flinched a little, remembering the times when their mother was too broken to function, and they had to rely on Tim for the time being to keep the family together. "Men are despicable creatures- and I really don't trust Romano. I don't like Antonio very much, either."

"But-"

"I'm a man, too," continued Tim, "I know how their minds work. Trust me when I tell you that Romano's only pretending."

"But-"

"A man who lies shouldn't be worth your time-"

"But you never let me talk to anyone anyway!" yelled Emma, slamming her hands on the table. She glared at her brother, and then looked down at the table. "I can't have friends without you having to check their background or without your permission! I can't do _anything_! I can't make relationships by myself!"

"Em-"

"Don't you _understand_, Tim? As much as I love you and appreciate all you've done for me- I just- I want-" Emma rubbed at her eyes furiously, "I just want someone to _like_ me. I've never- I'm so plain! It's already hard to attract people, and here you are, scaring them away!"

"They're not- I just don't want you to get _hurt_," Tim emphasized, gripping his fork tightly while he stared at his sister. Their eyes met and they both looked away. It was quiet for a couple of moments, and then he sighed. "Look, fine. Alright. I'll _try_ to give you some space. I can't guarantee anything, but I'll . . . try."

Emma swallowed loudly, and she smiled weakly at her brother, who gave her a ghost of a smile. "Thanks."

* * *

"So, yeah, we had a fight last Saturday so he's giving me space," Emma told Romano, her friend that she began to spend time with a lot lately. He was so funny and outspoken, and she really enjoyed being in his company.

It was unfortunate, really, that Romano was dating Antonio- or else Emma would've totally tried her hand at dating the charming Italian. And luckily, her mini-heartbreak from Antonio was just that- a _mini heartbreak_. She was now able to feel happy for Romano and Antonio without the jealousy, and it was such a great feeling to truly be happy for her friends!

She sighed softly and felt Romano bring an arm around her; she leaned into his side and smelled the familiar scent of pasta and some other distinct scent. She couldn't place her finger on it, even if they had been this close for more than a handful of times. "Seriously, Roma, if you weren't gay, I would fall in love with you."

Romano looked down at her, amber eyes amused and an eyebrow elegantly raised. "Well, what if I say I was bisexual?"

Emma rolled her eyes and pushed herself away from Romano, smiling. "I wouldn't go for you because you're already dating Antonio," she said. "Speaking of which," the blonde girl sat up straighter and peered at Romano's face. _Oh, he's so cute when Antonio's mentioned!_ she thought. "Isn't today your one-month anniversary with Antonio?"

"Uh," Romano licked his lips nervously and placed his hand on his phone. Oh _shit_. That was right- month-anniversaries were huge deals for couples! "It's tomorrow actually."

"Huh?"

"Yeah. W-we couldn't remember when we got together, so we just decided that we should celebrate it on Tuesday," Romano lied. Fuck, he had to tell Antonio about this; or else the bastard would throw some kind of fiesta on Wednesday- if he even recalled their "anniversary." But neither of them really remembered . . .

Emma sighed again, "I'm _soo_ envious of you guys! Talk about relationship goals!"

"Forgetting the day you got together should _not_ be part of your relationship goals," Romano frowned.

"That's not what I meant!" laughed Emma, causing Romano to smile. "But anyway, your relationship with Antonio inspires my relationship goals!"

"Oh man, please, no," Romano rolled his eyes. He didn't see anything special about his relationship with Antonio, despite what everyone gushed about. "Hey, can you tell me something?" he asked, suddenly curious. When Emma nodded her head, he asked, "Uh, so, what do you people see in my relationship with Antonio? We've been like this since, I don't know, we've met."

"You don't see it?" Emma asked; Romano shook his head. "You guys are just so _cute_," she started, smiling fondly as she thought of the two. "Antonio would always ruffle your hair to show his affection, and you swear at him to show yours," she explained. "And you guys just . . . I don't know, you guys just _fit_ perfectly."

"Thanks?" He stared out the window, unaware of the football field splayed just outside the building. They were inside the library on the second floor (Romano liked to skip football practice whenever Emma stayed after school- you know, to get her to fall in love with him, which was probably _hopefully_ working), sitting around the last table by the large window. His thoughts then wandered to Antonio, who had told him that he would take him out for some "good Italian pasta" later.

The bastard had been acting up recently- around the time when people began wondering why they didn't kiss or hold hands or do anything _romantic_ in public. Antonio would wink at him, hug him at the end of Fridays because they didn't meet up over the weekends unless Antonio needed tutoring (they never hugged in the past lest it was some glorious football win), and he would always, always, _always_ attempt to lighten up his mood whenever he was upset- which was frequent.

Antonio was good at playing his part as his boyfriend, Romano concluded. He would have to thank him when-

His heart leaped out of his chest when he spotted Antonio running by the football field, and he silently swore, startling Emma. The latter followed his gaze and giggled softly and, instead of her heart tightening a little painfully in her chest, it soared with a pleasant feeling- a type of adoration as she watched Romano follow Antonio's form with his eyes. (Relationship goals! She would love to watch her future boyfriend doing something he enjoyed!)

"You really like him, don't you?"

Feeling like he was caught red-handed, Romano turned his attention back to her with flaring cheeks. "I don't l-like that bastard," he blurted out. He had to calm his racing heart; what the _fuck_ was that about? He didn't like Antonio! He liked Emma! This was all the bastard's fault! He just _had_ to start acting weird around him, and he just _had_ to act like he a freaking, perfect boyfriend-

"Deny all you want, Roma," sang Emma, giggling as Romano groaned and buried his head in his arms. "You are guys are in love. According to the books that I've read."

* * *

"Did you try the new advice Franny and I gave you?" asked Gilbert as he grinned at Antonio.

Antonio hummed in agreement. Dio, he hadn't even _kissed_ Roma! How could he ever try those things? N-not that he was planning to deflower his little fiery Italian! He licked his lips nervously as he pulled a clean shirt over his head, and then pulled on his hoodie. Maybe he could catch up with Romano and Emma today- w-wait, he shouldn't be cockblocking! He sighed.

"What, Romano didn't like it?" Gilbert raised his eyebrows.

"U-um, no," Antonio replied, a little disoriented at the conflicting emotions surfacing within him, "I mean- he liked it, yeah."

"Hey," the red-eyed German gently punched his shoulder to catch the Spaniard's attention, "is something wrong?"

"No, everything's fine!" Antonio smiled and ran his fingers through his damp, curly locks, "The first, uh, monthsary is coming up, and I d-don't know what to do." Damn it, he was stammering! He hoped Gilbert would fall for his lie though. Antonio was certain that he and Romano wouldn't celebrate the monthsary- after all, they weren't actually a couple.

Gilbert laughed, bear-hugging Antonio and lifting him up a bit. "Man, you're in deep shit!"

"Now, now, I wouldn't call l'amour _shit_," Francis appeared in the football team's locker room with a plastic bag filled with snacks. His blonde hair was tied back, and he was wearing a classy outerwear; he never failed to look good in any given situation. The Frenchman also used to be part of the football team until their junior year- but, apparently, it wasn't his "calling." He preferred to spend his time in the _Gourmet Food Club_ with some Turkish guy and a Chinese student (Antonio and Gilbert couldn't pinpoint their gender), creating and eating food.

"Did you hear him?" Gilbert continued to laugh, letting go of Antonio to grab the plastic bag out of Franny's hands. "He's so worried about his '_monthsary_'!"

"I find it very thoughtful of you that you worry about your monthsaries," Francis told Antonio proudly. "Now, what do you plan on doing?"

"You know, besides Romano," Gilbert wagged his eyebrows and earned a smack on the back of his head from Francis. He laughed his special laugh, the one that sounded like _kesese_, and began to dig in the plastic bag for a snack.

Feeling heat creep up his cheeks, he bent down to zip up his duffel bag and slung it over his shoulder, putting his regular backpack on his other shoulder. "I was thinking of just bringing him to some Italian restaurant. He doesn't really like any other food haha."

"When's the monthsary?" asked Francis, walking out of the locker room with his friends. As usual, his friends liked to be the last ones to leave the football locker room. The only reason Antonio would leave earlier than usual last year was because he and Romano liked to pig out in restaurants around town before they headed home. From what he heard from Gilbert, Antonio still left earlier than he did whenever Romano showed up to practice.

"Er, Wednesday . . . I think. I don't know," Antonio admitted. "We don't remember."

Francis dropped his jaw and, this time, smacked Antonio on the head. "Toni!" he gasped in horror.

"You're definitely screwed now!" exclaimed Gilbert, clapping Antonio on the back.

"H-he'll let me know," Antonio told them, taking the snack that Gilbert offered him.

"How come he skipped practice again?" the silver-haired German.

"Well, you know how Alfred is," sighed Antonio, remembering all the times that Romano would rant when they walked home together. "He really wants to see us, you know, _kiss_."

"If it's only one kiss, I say why not!" Francis exclaimed with a smile sent at Antonio's direction. "I mean, you've done it lots of times! It'll be chaste!"

"Yeah, lots of times," Antonio said with a somewhat forced smile. He was getting so confused! What was this weird feeling in his chest whenever he thought of kissing Romano? And it wasn't like he thought of it on purpose! They just kind of . . . happened. Oh, whatever! The sooner Romano swept Emma from her feet, the sooner Antonio would feel less confused!

But . . . the notion of Romano and Emma as a couple . . . didn't make Antonio feel as delightful as before.

Seriously! What was happening?!

* * *

**yeah i think this is gonna be a sweet and short, to-the-point story? anyway thanks so much for reading guys! i really appreciate it! :D **


	5. Chapter 5

**in reply to 'Rii': I totally know what you mean! I agree that the characters don't appear as '3D' as they should've been. Because this story was made to be light and short, I thought that if I added details, I would create more conflict between the characters and take longer to update! I normally don't write like this, since I personally like multi-chapter stories with at least 3k per chap (i'm hoping i'll be able to create some in the future!), so I can say that writing this is quite a feat- especially since I update it each day with at least 1k-ish words. I'll try my best to add major details from now on in order to make the characters seem more realistic- but no guarantees! Don't worry though! I'll still do my best to improve the story (and my future ones like this)! Thank you so much for the advice! :D**

**And thanks to everyone for reading!**

* * *

_tmrw's our month anniversary. don't forget bastard_, Romano texted him later in the evening. They were supposed to eat out at some Italian restaurant (Antonio's treating!) but Antonio got home too late, and the Spaniard had to cancel. Romano was thoroughly disappointed, though he claimed that he wasn't because he spent all of his afternoon with Emma.

_i thought it was wed? _Antonio replied, turning around on his bed to turn his lamp off. He was so exhausted! And his mind was like mush, worrying over his unusual feelings. Romano made him _so_ confused!

_and i thought it was mon_, answered Romano, which he immediately followed with, _i told emma that we decided to celebrate it on tue bcz we forgot when we got together so_

_ok :-)_, Antonio sent. _imma go to sleep now roma! buenas noches tomate!_

_i'm not a fucking tomato! VAFFANCULO!_

Antonio smiled at his phone, easing himself into his bed and forcing his mind to migrate to lighter thoughts.

* * *

"Happy monthsary, Roma!" Antonio exclaimed as soon as Romano exited his home the next morning. As usual, Antonio waited for Romano and Feliciano outside their house (listen, he started doing this _before_ they started "dating"), so that the three of them could walk to school together. Anyway, Antonio had picked off two red roses from his mother's garden- with her permission, of course- and offered it to Romano when the younger individual neared the Spaniard.

"I-I'm not a _girl_, buttcrotch," Romano growled, glaring at the roses in Antonio's hand. He could see a few cuts on some of his fingers and frowned. He took the roses, which were smooth and didn't hold any thorns, and examined the cuts on the Spaniard's tan hand.

"That's so sweet, big brother Toni!" exclaimed Feli, peering at the rich-colored roses. Antonio laughed, grinning widely. He loved the Vargas twins so much! But perhaps he adored Romano more- ah, his thoughts were becoming odd again!

"You're so stupid," Romano continued, ignoring his brother, "you didn't have to give me any fucking roses."

"Oh," a fraction of Antonio's grin fell off, "you don't like it?"

"I didn't say that," Romano muttered, but Antonio was close enough to hear it, and his smile was back with its initial enthusiasm. The older Italian dropped his hand after deeming it well to function. "A-and happy- er, you too," he replied with red cheeks, refusing to say those two words back.

Antonio, being the stupid dumbass he was, looked at him curiously. "What?"

"Shut up. Let's just go," Romano growled, hand grabbing Antonio's again. Antonio's eyes widened, and it took Romano a few steps up the street to realize that he was _holding_ Antonio's fucking hand. He dropped it like it was on fire._  
_

"I don't mind if you guys hold hands!" Feli told Romano, thinking that he was the cause of his brother's reaction. "I'll even walk ahead if you want! I don't mind! And today's a special day for you two, right?" Feliciano didn't wait for any response; he gave Antonio a pat on the shoulder and his brother a swift hug, whispering, "I'll clear out the place tonight, fratello."

Romano blushed, mouth twitching while his younger twin ran off ahead of them. "Feliciano!" he called angrily- embarrassed. What the _fuck_, Feli! If he was doing this to get brownie points for his relationship with the macho German, Romano was _not_ giving any. His younger brother only sped up his pace, leaving the "couple" walking side-by-side.

He glanced at Antonio, who seemed unfazed, and noticed how near they were walking. Their arms were brushing! And the backs of their hands were brushing against each other's too! Romano gave themselves a little distance, glaring at Antonio. "You're walking too fucking close."

"Hm?" Antonio looked at him, bright green eyes- whoa, were his eyes always _this_ green?- blinking at him innocently. "What are you talking about?"

"I don't know what's gotten into you but," started Romano, though he couldn't finish it. But what? He kind of liked the attention that Antonio- _dio_, what was he talking about! Antonio was only pretending to be his boyfriend, and Romano was just experiencing how Antonio treated his partners firsthand! _Damn it_, he told himself, _don't get confused!_

"I really don't know what you're talking about," Antonio told him, shaking his head with a tiny laugh. Romano's heart skipped a bea- fuck you! Antonio wasn't Emma! He glared at the Spaniard. "After practice," Antonio began, smile growing small when he caught Romano's gaze, "you wanna eat some good Italian pasta?"

"And have you cancel out on me again?" Romano asked sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

"I thought you didn't mind!"

"I never said that I _did_ mind!"

They stopped by the end of the sidewalk, waiting to cross the street filled with cars. They exchanged looks, and Antonio suddenly cracked a smile while Romano glared harder. Romano had a feeling of what the Spanish bastard was about to say, and he _wished_ he wouldn't say it-

"We're acting as if we're really together," Antonio said- causing a bunch of _shit_ to dick around in Romano's fucking stomach. What the fuck!

"Whatever," grumbled Romano, looking away. He gripped the roses in his hand tighter, fingers stiff with the cold air. Damn, the temperatures were definitely getting lower- he couldn't leave his house without his sweater or jacket anymore! "And you still owe me an Italian dinner anyway."

"Great!" Antonio beamed, hand reaching down to take Romano's- but he pulled it back and pushed his hands inside his pockets instead. He licked his lips nervously. "Uh, so." They were spared from conversing as they had to cross the street, but when they reached the other street and fell into silence, they somewhat felt . . . awkward. "So how are you and Emma, uh, doing?"

"Okay," Romano said slowly, trying to look back at what _had_ been happening between them. They had definitely gotten to know each other better- and she was a great girl! She really was- but . . . "She said she would've dated me if I wasn't dating you," Romano told him with a smirk that contradicted his feelings, "Maybe we'd have to break this off soon, eh?"

Romano didn't know what he was expecting, didn't know what he wanted Antonio to do, but he certainly didn't like it when Antonio smiled and said, "That's good! I knew your plan will work!"

He felt his fingernails dig into his palms while the edges of his mouth went down slightly. "Of course it works. I'm not stupid like you," he growled, speeding ahead. The school was in sight now. Just two more fucking streets!

Bewildered, Antonio watched Romano walk away from him, but soon, he was jogging after him and grabbing his arm. "Hey, are you okay?" he asked as he looked down at Roma, fingers firm on his arm. Concern laced his Spanish features; it was a common expression that Antonio wore around Romano- there wasn't anything new.

"Why wouldn't I be," he spat, amber eyes hard.

"You just rushed off in a bad mood," Antonio explained, eyebrows furrowing. Romano shrugged him off, but resumed walking with the stupid Spaniard towards the school. His Italian heart was out of control today, reacting weirdly to Antonio's stupid antics. T

"Oh, good morning guys!" a familiar voice greeted them; Romano and Antonio looked up to see Emma waving her hand at them, with Tim just slightly ahead of her.

"Buenos dias," greeted Antonio with a bright smile to cover up an ugly feeling in his chest. Recently, he had been dreading encounters with Emma- and he didn't understand why. He felt something whenever she and Romano were together, and it bothered him even in his dreams.

It was very frustrating and irritating, but he was used to smiling.

"Are you guys doing anything special today?" asked Emma, glancing between Romano and Antonio.

"Mhm," Antonio replied eagerly, almost like he was rubbing it to her face, "I'm taking Roma out for dinner."

"That sounds great!" giggled Emma. She noticed the roses in Romano's hands, and _squealed_. Antonio and Romano were very confused at the sound, but Tim appeared like he was familiar with it. "Did you give the roses to him, Antonio?"

"Yup," he answered as they entered the gates of Hetalia Academy. The other students greeted Emma and Antonio, some dared to smile at Romano (who scowled in return, unless they were females), and then Emma turned to Romano again. Antonio pushed his hands in his pockets to hide his restlessness.

"You're so lucky that Antonio loves you so much," Emma told Romano; the Italian felt his face heat up. Antonio didn't say anything. "You _do_ know what red roses symbolize, right?"

Romano quirked an eyebrow. Everyone knew. "Well, yeah. Love, right?"

"Yeah, but not just _any _kind of love! It's romantic love," Emma sighed dreamily. "At least, that's what Elizaveta told me! Antonio must've picked them for that reason, right, Toni?"

Antonio didn't know why he picked red. He just thought . . . well, he thought they were pretty and that red suited Roma a lot. But he nodded anyway, just to look like he knew what Emma was talking about.

Seeing the Spaniard nod made Romano blush harder, and he elbowed Antonio lightly. "Stop lying," he growled.

Antonio only laughed.

* * *

"Don't do it _too_ hard tonight. We have a game tomorrow; wouldn't want you two to be sore," Gilbert teased, giving Antonio's butt a pat when both Antonio and Romano passed him in the locker room.

"Fuck off, albino," Romano frowned. He glanced at Antonio, who was about to start a conversation with Gilbert, and grabbed his arm in order to avoid the other remarks from the athletes.

"What's the rush, Roma?" asked Antonio, struggling to keep his bags from falling on the ground as they speed-walked away from the football field and away from the school.

"I want my pasta, damn it," he said. He let go of Antonio and carefully shifted the roses in his other hand. When Antonio saw the roses in their pristine conditions, he smiled happily. "Where the hell are you taking me anyway?"

"Oh, it's not too far."

"Not too far my fucking ass," grumbled Romano a couple of minutes later as they settled in the back seats of the bus. "We're taking a _bus_."

"Well, I told you that I was going to take you to a good Italian place," Antonio explained, trying to cover up that he hurriedly planned this in the morning. He would've stayed up later last night to research, but he was too _tired_ to do anything- especially anything that required mental and emotional effort. And this was one of those things.

"We've never been there before?" asked Romano, looking out the window, at the blurry streets and people and cars. The sun was already retreating. Sitting with Antonio, going to some restaurant together after practice- he had done this multiple times! And yet . . . now, it felt different.

It felt more intimate . . . like they were _together_. Like they were really going to celebrate their "monthsary" (as Antonio, and the rest of the world, called it).

But that wasn't it, right? They were just going out to eat really good Italian pasta. And surely, _certainly_, Antonio didn't mean anything by the red roses, did he?

Because Romano didn't like Antonio- he liked Emma. And he wasn't denying anything!

* * *

When Antonio walked Romano home two hours later, the latter was surprised to find his house deserted.

He didn't mind or anything, because that meant that he could sleep early without his younger twin giggling at stupid things and his _nonno_ talking with his friends on the phone late into the night, but then he saw a folded note on his bed, with a few packs of c- _condoms_?

_Happy monthsary Roma and Toni! I'm taking Nonno out to the movies and dinner! We'll be home by 9! I hope you guys use the packs! I had to ask big brother Francis and Gil for Antonio's size so I could buy the right ones! Have fun!_

_Love,  
Feli_

He crumpled the paper, unaware that his heart was beating faster. Stupid fratello! Stupid Francis! Stupid Gilbert! Ugh, now he was a little intrigued and he shouldn't- he shouldn't look at the size- he _shouldn't_\- but- Romano took a peek. With a very hot face, he shoved all of the condoms inside his bedside drawer. He licked his lips nervously and ran his fingers through his hair, amber eyes burning at the crumpled paper on his bed. Damn it.

Romano checked the digital clock on his bedside table. It was only seven-thirty in the evening, and he had ample time to make himself comfortable and go to sleep.

And that was what he was going to do. Yeah, and he would think about Emma, and then go to sleep. Everything would be fine in the morning. Except, he didn't dream of Emma that night; he dreamed of a tall and tan Spaniard with bright emerald eyes and a nice smile that made his heart flutter.


	6. Chapter 6

**To Shan:** girl, if i didnt like your reviews, i would've said so in the beginning! ;) god i love you for all the tips- i swear! Omg, I know what you mean about the fast-paced-ness, and my other author best friend pointed that out to me when I was creating a 10-chap Black Butler story too! I've realized that whenever I plan out my stories, chapter by chapter, I tend to have this fast-paced, always moving pieces and never have time for, yknow, those nice, easygoing chaps. As you can see, I'm still struggling with that prob. I also plan to finish the story by Saturday or Sunday at latest- because I have to focus on school and wouldn't have time to think about this at all. I worry that if I don't finish the story by the end of the week, I'll never finish at all! It _has_ happened multiple times in the past, and I really hate abandoning my works and disappointing the audience, but I quickly lose inspiration as quickly as I gain it. :( Although! I'll try to add some random events within the chapters! and thank you for pointing out the Gilbert-albino thing! I haven't had the chance to allow much screentime (is that what I should call his appearances in the story? or is that only for films?) for other characters besides the main ones, so I haven't had the opportunity to create those dilemmas! I'll try my best to address that in the story! And the homophobia! Yup, yup! I actually worried about that for the first few hours I began constructing the story, but I honestly just pushed it aside and made Hetalia Academy as nonhomophobic as possible- just to get rid of more conflicts. Granted, there _are_ people in the academy who are homophobes, but they just avoid gays or, yknow, just get beat up (just kidding on that one!). It's totally fine if you stay anonymous! I get lazy to sign into my account each time I want to review, so I don't even bother! And HAHAHAHA, sure thing, I shall not go overboard with the "'kawaii desu emerald eyes kokoro doki doki' thing"! ;) Thanks so much and sorry for the hella long reply! I can't stop rambling sometimes!

**thanks to everyone else! :D I really appreciate it! And happy Thanksgiving to those who celebrate it! Enjoy your day! and Madehline or Maddie is fem!Canada**

* * *

Antonio sighed, hanging upside down from the side of Francis' bed. It was the weekend, and he was spending his time at Francis' home with his two best friends. His mother and father went out of town for their twentieth anniversary, and his older brother was in college so he had the house all to himself. But it was so lonely by himself, so Antonio decided to drop by Francis' household. Gilbert seemed to have the same idea since Feli and Luddy were having a date at the Beilschmidt residence.

"Shouldn't you be with Romano?" Francis inquired, entering his room with a tray of homemade French snacks. Though Gilbert liked to complain about Francis' cooking, he always ate what the Frenchman gave him.

"Aw, did you guys fight?" Gilbert asked, pausing his game so that he could inspect the snacks on the tray.

"It's not that," Antonio told them while he pulled himself up to sit properly on the bed. On second thought, he settled himself next to Gilbert on the floor to eat some of Francis' snacks- which were actually French macarons. "I feel weird around Romano."

"What do you mean?" Gilbert asked curiously, twisting around to look at Antonio. Francis sat himself by his friends, stretching his legs in front of him and leaning on his hands.

"I don't know how to explain it," he replied, looking at his friends.

"Let me take a guess," Francis smiled, taking a bite from his macaron. "Your heart races when Romano's near, and his presence lights up your mood, and you get jealous when you see other people getting close to him, and you want to please him-"

"Basically, you're horny and jealous?" guessed Gilbert. He cringed when he bit his tongue on accident.

"No, he's _in love_," Francis rolled his blue eyes, laughing slightly at the astonished expression on Antonio's face.

"No, I'm not," Antonio replied, head spinning. In love? With Romano? "Romano's just a _friend_, and there's nothing going on between us." There was silence between the three friends, and Gil and Franny exchanged astonished looks. Romano was just a friend? What did that mean?

"Oh no," Francis crawled next to Antonio and pulled him in his arms. "You had a fight, didn't you? Gil, I think he's overreacting."

"I think _you're_ overreacting, Franny." Gilbert pried Francis' arms away from Antonio. "Now tell us what _really_ happened."

"N-nothing happened," Antonio started, faintly remembering that he and Romano were supposed to be "together." Ah, shit. "I guess I'm . . . jealous," he said- lied?

"Of whom?"

"Emma," Antonio grumbled, rubbing his face with his hands. Was he pretending? He didn't know anymore. He sighed hugely and leaned on Gilbert, as if to share his problems with the German. "I think I'm jealous of her."

Gilbert suddenly clapped his hands together, "Ah! I know why!" Antonio moved away from Gil just as the German started poking his shoulder. "Whenever Romano wasn't at practice, he was with Emma, right?" The tan Spaniard nodded his head, a frown adorning his face while Francis watched him sympathetically.

"Antonio, listen to me," the blonde individual began, voice gentle yet serious, "what you feel is natural. It's not weird." Antonio gave him a look, and Francis chuckled a little, "Okay, maybe they're a little odd- but that's natural when you're in love. It's okay to be possessive over Roma, too!"

"Yeah," agreed Gilbert, "I get possessive all the time! I don't like it when I see guys hanging around Maddie-"

"Gilbert," cut Francis sharply, gaze moving onto the silver-haired German who was smiling sheepishly, "don't tell me that you and _my cute cousin_-"

"She said yes, okay?! I didn't force her into anything!" exclaimed Gilbert, jumping up and avoiding Francis' murderous glare. "I'll take good care of her! I promise- hey- what are you doing with that tray- _verdammt Francis!_"

Antonio shook his head, a small smile playing on his lips as his friends argued about the fate of Francis' Canadian cousin. He let his thoughts drift back to Romano, pulse increasing and face growing hot.

He couldn't possibly be in love with Roma! He honestly loved Roma to death (he was so cute and sweet!) but he just . . . he shouldn't be in love with Romano. Romano liked someone else! It would be a waste of time to even _try_ to pursue Roma- and what if Romano hated him if he ever found out that Antonio had these feelings for him? That was possible, seeing as they had only known each other for a year, nearing two years now, and Antonio wasn't always confident about how Romano would react.

He sighed heavily again, but when his friends asked what was wrong, he just waved them away with a bright smile.

* * *

_ROMA THIS IS URGENT! MY BROTHER HIRED ELIZAVETA TO SPY ON YOU AND ANTONIO SO PLS BE CAREFUL_, was what Romano read at six-thirty on a Monday morning. He blinked, read it again, and made sure that he wasn't seeing things. He collapsed back on his bed with a loud sigh.

_wat_, Romano replied, too tired to care about his spellings. He was hoping that Emma was kidding, because he already had a lot in his mind. (Like, what did those roses mean, did he really like Emma, was this plan working, was Antonio really _that_ big, did Antonio really care for him- ugh fuck you Antonio. Go away.)

_Tim stil doesnt blieve that u and toni r gay, so he hired liz to spy on u two. idk how shes going to do it, but pls be on the lookout :(_

Romano let out another sigh. He could hear Feliciano singing some upbeat pop song in the bathroom, and he buried himself in his covers, not wanting to go to school today.

_i talked to him bout it, but he said he couldnt get refunds from liz so hes not cancelling it :(_, added Emma a minute later.

_ok, no probs. thanks em :)_, Romano replied. Yep. This was a bad omen, as Alice would've said.

_if i get any info, i'll let you know asap_, Emma texted.

* * *

"So we're being watched?" whispered Antonio while they walked to the school. The last football game was this Thursday, signaling the end of the football season, and Romano was immensely happy. It was getting too fucking cold.

"That's what _to spy on_ means, right?" Romano retorted. Now, with his head cleared, he had to structure another plan to get around Emma's annoyingly overprotective brother._  
_

"What are we gonna do?" Antonio asked softly, making sure that the people around them couldn't hear their conversation. It looked perfectly normal for a couple to walk very close to one another and to talk in hushed tones. At least, that was what Romano and Antonio aspired for.

"I'm working on it," Romano scowled. Emma spotted them first, sending them a worried look before excusing herself from her brother. Her brother simply walked ahead after giving the other two males quiet greetings.

"I'm really sorry for my brother's actions," Emma told them silently, furrowing her eyebrows. "He thinks that Roma's pretending to be gay in order to get close to me, but that's not true and I know it!" she said confidently, though both Romano and Antonio secretly wondered how Tim cracked this seemingly-foolproof plan. She looked around, to make sure that the Hungarian student wasn't in sight, and continued, "She'll be staying after today to catch you two. That doesn't mean she's not going to try anything during school hours. So be careful, please."

"All we have to do is prove your brother wrong, right?" Romano rolled his eyes. "It'll be easy."

It was. Until football practice.

Romano and Antonio made sure to avoid one another throughout the whole day, but when football practice came, it was inevitable. Plus, they might as well get over this, right? It would make everything complicated if they dragged it out anyway. And how hard would it be to prove Tim wrong anyway?

In the end, however, Antonio and Romano waited for all of the football athletes to clear the locker room. They didn't have any plan! It was nearing six o'clock in the evening, and surely, Elizaveta would've gone home already. Especially since the sun set earlier now that the climate was cooler.

It was a surprise when Romano's phone vibrated against his pocket, as he was pulling his bag over his shoulder. He looked at the message and widened his eyes.

_Liz is entering the locker room as we speak! I THINK SHE HAS A CAMERA PLS TELL ME UR NOT DOING ANYTHING WEIRD_

"Bastard," Romano started, heart beating fast and mind panicking. Oh god, what were they going to do now? He licked his lips nervously when Antonio turned to him, an eyebrow raised as he secured both of his bags on his shoulders. "Kiss me."

W-wait a minute! Why would Roma- Antonio caught a faint glint in the background, and he might have heard the _swish_ of the door being maneuvered, and-

Romano felt his panic take over, and he sighed through his nose, "Fuck it, I'll do it."

"Waitwaitwait-_mmph_!"

He grabbed Antonio's face and gently pressed his lips against his, eyes shut while he felt Antonio cup the back of his head. The Spaniard gently tangled his fingers in his hair, slightly changing the angle of Roma's head so that they could move their lips easier against each other's. Romano slid his hands down to Antonio's firm shoulders, allowing the bastard to lick and nip at his lips because _damn_, that felt good.

Romano pulled away when he felt his phone vibrate, realizing that the door of the locker resounded faintly in the background. He turned away from Antonio with a burning face, licking his now moist lips and becoming aware of how hot his body felt and how fast his heart was beating.

_Liz just left the locker room! I hope you guys are ok! i'll see u two tmrw!_

"L-let's go," Romano muttered, pulling his bag from the ground (when the fuck did he drop that?).

"Okay."

Romano made sure to walk ahead of the Spaniard, unaware of the flustered and dazed look on Antonio's face, or the way his Spanish heart jolted a little when Roma glanced at him to check if he was still around.

* * *

Tim didn't want the footage, so Elizaveta kept it. Emma was just happy that Tim _finally_ believed that her friends were good people, and not liars. She wouldn't want to associate herself with liars! Her Dad was one, after all- cheating on her mother and lying to _all_ of them. Her blood boiled a little at the thought, and she sighed softly.

Anyway, when she was spying on Elizaveta yesterday, she encountered the new Ukrainian student- Katyusha or "Kat" because her name was hard to pronounce and remember- who was leaving the school late due to some chorus practice. Their meeting was rather unfortunate, having Kat accidentally stepping on Emma's foot as she passed a bush that Emma was hiding in.

Kat had screamed, and Emma had gasped and pulled her down, placing a hand over her lips as she waited for Elizaveta to come out of the locker room so she could tell Roma. "Be quiet," Emma had told Kat, who looked like she was about to cry.

The Ukrainian student had nodded her head timidly, placing her hands on top of Emma to pull it down. They stayed quiet even after Elizaveta left. Emma texted her friend, pulled herself up from the ground and offered a hand to the girl.

"I'm Emma. Sorry about that, by the way. I had to save my friends," Emma had explained, smiling sheepishly.

"I'm Katyusha, o-or Kat," Katyusha took her hand and pulled herself up, brushing the dirt off her uniform. "Sorry for stepping on your foot." When she turned her teal eyes towards Emma, the latter startled. Whoa, she had really nice eyes!

"I'll accept your apology if you accept mine," Emma remarked with a smile.

Katyusha blinked, smiled, and said, "Deal."

And that was how their friendship began. At least, that was what Emma liked to think. As she and her brother were walking to school, she looked around for the familiar guys she often talked to- however, Roma and Antonio were nowhere in sight. She would have to text Roma later, ask him where he was-

"Hey, Kat!" exclaimed Emma, causing the tall student to jump a few steps in front of them.

Kat turned around, brushing her blonde hair out of her eyes, and smiled at the bubbly student. "Hi, Emma."

"Tim, you have to meet Kat! She's so sweet," she told her big brother, pulling his arm so that they could catch up with Emma. "Kat, this is Tim. Tim, this is Kat."

"H-hello," Katyusha continued to smile, while Tim merely nodded his head.

"We met yesterday when I was- when I was eating at that place," stammered Emma, almost letting her big brother know about her whereabouts. "If I don't come home early, I might be with Kat or Roma or something," she added.

"Well, I should go. I have some tasks I must do," Kat told them.

"Okay, I'll see you around!" Emma waved her hand enthusiastically, while Tim nodded his head again. The siblings watched her scurry off in her adorable coat, and Emma smiled up at her brother.

"She's nice, isn't she?"

"I guess."

"Isn't she cute?"

"Emma, if you're trying to set me up again, it's not going to work."

* * *

Antonio couldn't focus.

All he could really imagine were Romano's soft lips on his, and his hot breath, and nice voice, and Romano _everything_. Maybe the kiss was some wake-up call. Something to trigger his feelings and desires.

Perhaps it was why Romano was avoiding him.

When he made his usual stop at the Vargas residence this morning, their _nonno_ told him that they had already left. And their lunch schedule didn't match today, so unless he skipped a part of calculus, then he wouldn't see Romano lest he came to football practice.

With a sigh, Antonio continued to stare blankly at the teacher in front of him. Why he was taking physics was beyond him, but at least he had Francis in his class. His friend was sitting right next to him, doodling instead of taking notes, blonde hair loose from its typical hair-tie. He was the epitome of a Frenchman- appearance and all.

_what's gotten into you Toni? :(_ Francis wrote on his notebook, sending a brief yet worried glance in his direction.

_tell u later_, wrote Antonio as he pushed the notebook back to Francis. He realized a lot of things last night when he was walking home from the Vargas residence. He realized that a) he liked kissing Romano, b) he wanted to kiss Romano again, and c) he was . . . er, in love with Romano. He also realized that he was _indeed_ jealous of Emma and how she and Roma seemed to spend more time together.

The bell rang twenty minutes later, and Francis grabbed Antonio's arm to steer them away in the opposite direction. As one of the three members of the Gourmet Food Club, Francis had a key to enter the club room- and, yes, he used it to his advantage whenever he could.

"Francis. I don't think we should sk-"

"Oh please," Francis rolled his eyes as he slid on one of the shiny counters. "We're seniors. And it's not like we do this all the time."

"We used to do it all the time," sighed Antonio, leaning the side of his hip on the counter next to Francis. Back then, Francis, Gilbert, and Antonio would skip their math and English classes and hide in the football locker room. Gilbert always managed to take the keys from their coach; it was a miracle that Gilbert was still on the team!

"What's wrong, Toni? You've been sighing a lot," Francis said in concern. He leaned back on his hands and stared at Antonio. "Is it about Romano?"

"Yeah," Antonio sighed, crossing his arms over his chest. "Yeah, it's about Romano."

They were quiet, until Francis decided to break it again. "I can't keep guessing, _mon cher_. Now, what is it about Romano that upsets you?"

"I think- I just," Antonio paused to let out another huge sigh. How was he going to express his- his _feelings_? "I love Romano." Yeah, he guessed that would work too. But saying it out loud was _way_ different from thinking it and admitting it to himself.

"Everybody knows that," Francis told him patiently, bewildered at Antonio's concerns. Why was he worried about that? They were in a relationship, weren't they? Of _course_ Antonio loved Romano. It's natural for god's sake! "Er, I don't see the problem."

"Roma doesn't know that I have these . . . feelings for him," Antonio said slowly, looking down at his shoes.

"Then tell him."

"I-it's not that easy," Antonio replied. "H-he- we're- not . . ."

"You guys aren't, what?" asked Francis, looking at him curiously. "Plus, you guys are already in a relationship, it shouldn't be-"

"We're _not_ in a relationship," Antonio blurted out with wide eyes. "Wait-" Oh shitshitshit_shit_-

"What?"

"N-nevermind! I just-"

"What did you say?" He was glaring now, arms crossed as he stared Antonio down.

Oh, fuck, he was _so_ dead. Antonio didn't know who he was more afraid of- Francis or Romano. But he told Francis the truth anyway, and little by little, the French student deflated with anger, claiming that, "People do crazy things for _l'amour_."

"I won't say anything to anyone," Francis told him, seeing Antonio smile weakly at him. He clasped his hand on the Spaniard's shoulder. "Don't worry, Toni. Your Italian's already in love with you. Everyone can see it! All we have to do is get to him to realize it."

"We?"

"Of course! You really think that I would leave you alone to fend for yourself?" Francis smirked and patted Antonio's shoulder. "We might just have to keep the truth from Gil, but we'll need his help too. Think of it as another mission for the Bad Touch Trio, hm?"


	7. Chapter 7

**To Shan, a.k.a. Fairy Godmother: **omg, A FAIRY GODMOTHER HOW EXCITING! :D i can't reply as well as I did yesterday and the day before that bcz my friends are staring at me as we speak/type/read (ah fuck). Yes, I understand that there were no emotional thingies during the first spamano kiss, and i have to admit- i DID NOT know how to incorporate the emotional thingies with the physical explanation thingy (sorry im writing so early in the morning and my vocab is never good in the morning) esp since I was panicking/rushing a little yesterday. And honestly, i'm still in a little rush today bcz my friends are still here and im unfortunately the host for the rest of the day. Omg, srsly sorry for the rambling! And also, you genius youuu (insert hearts), you figured out my intentions with Kat ;-) i shall not elaborate on that because i might just start giving out spoilers and shit LOL. Yes, thank you for that tip too! I'll definitely try to show other perspectives on the texts, because I'm sure as hell that it would be fun to write and read! But again, no guarantees! Thanks so much for the review Shan! xoxo!

**and thank you again for everyone else! I'm really grateful for all of your support! I love you guys so much! Next update might be a little late, bcz I probably won't be able to write a lot today. Happy Black Friday! xoxo :* and AYYEE, 3k+ (almost 4k!) words for this chap! **

* * *

"We're leaving early again?" asked Feliciano the third day his older twin rushed him to leave the house. It was Thursday, and today their academy's football team was going against a nearby private school. Fortunately enough, they were going to use the academy's football field, so many of the students from the academy were watching. "Ve~ what's wrong? I haven't seen big brother Toni in two days." When Roma didn't reply and simply shoved at him to hurry up, Feliciano frowned. "Did you guys have a fight?"

"We didn't _fight_." Romano shut the door behind them and locked it. "Now hurry up before the bastard comes around."

"Fratello," whined Feli, pouting and looking at his brother with what he hoped was like a puppy's expression, "what happened between you and Toni, huh?" Ignored. "Fratelloo~!" Ignored again. "Frateeelllooo-"

"Shut the fuck up or I'll make you eat tomato pudding," threatened Romano, causing Feliciano to jump up and look at him in fear. Romano knew Feliciano hated tomato pudding- ever since Feliciano spilled it all over his feet when they were young, and he had to deal with the stink for a couple of hours.

"But fratello," Feli tried again- timidly this time, because he knew Romano could make those mean tomato pudding that smelled really bad. He took Romano's arm in his and they walked close together in the chilly morning. Romano didn't shrug him off- he never did. They stopped by the stoplight. "Gil said that Antonio looks bad."

"He always looks bad," Romano growled, pushing his hands in his pockets to hide his fists.

"Ve~ no he doesn't!" Feliciano argued lightly with a smile. "Anyway, shouldn't you guys work out your problem? I'm sure everything'll be okay!"

"Yeah, yeah," Romano grumbled, feeling Antonio's lips ghost over his ever so slightly. He blushed and frowned. "Whatever."

He hadn't thought about kissing Emma for a while now.

* * *

"So, wait, let me get this straight," Gilbert looked between Francis and Antonio. They were skipping third period, as requested by Francis, and they were comfortably lounging in the Gourmet Food club room. He pointed to the Spaniard, "You've never had sex with Roma."

"Francis!" Antonio exclaimed, jaw dropping as he stared at the bashful Frenchman. "I thought we were keeping it from Gil!"

"Pardon me! It slipped! It's not hard to keep secrets from one another when we're in this together!" Francis explained himself, furrowing his eyebrows with a pout.

"And why would you keep it from me anyway!" roared Gilbert, eyebrows dipped down while he crossed his arms at his so-called best friends (who didn't even want to tell him this secret!).

"Well, you're not very good at keeping sec-" Francis started, but Antonio sighed and waved them off.

"Alright, okay. Sorry I didn't tell you guys," apologized Antonio. "I didn't think it would get this complicated. It really started with me having no feelings for Roma! I promise it started out that way! And then, I don't know," he shrugged. He leaned on the counter again, hands in his pockets while he stared down at the ground. "I really, really like him."

"I told you," Francis stage-whispered to Gilbert, "he's in love." They were standing across from Antonio, leaning on the counter that was parallel to the counter Antonio was occupying. Antonio didn't deny anything- he couldn't; it was true anyway.

"What's the mission then?" asked Gilbert, glancing at Francis.

"Get Romano to realize his feelings for Antonio," the Frenchman replied.

"And how are we going to do that?"

"Plan A: Antonio and his guitar. I mean, who _isn't_ immune to Antonio using his Spanish guitar?" Francis smirked. Gilbert laughed, and Antonio flushed. The Spaniard had been playing the Spanish guitar since he was seven, so it was almost natural for Toni to pick it up and compose his own music.

"Oh, that's right," Gilbert grinned mischievously at Antonio, who smiled humbly. "Play those tunes that would make a girl's heart flutter. I think it worked on guys too."

"Ah, I've never played for Roma before," Antonio said, bringing his hands out to fiddle with his fingers. "I get so nervous just thinking about it. I mean, what if Roma doesn't like it? What if he's, you know, '_immune_'?"

"You won't know until you try!" Francis encouraged. "If that doesn't work, we have more stuff up our sleeves!"

* * *

The afternoon came too soon; Romano was a little displeased that Antonio hadn't skipped calculus to meet him during lunch- which he started doing frequently when they began their "relationship"- but Romano forced the feeling away. He ate lunch with Emma, and the new girl, Kat, and the rest of Emma's tiny clique. It was normal; he _felt_ normal. No stupid heart jolts, no blushing, no stammering- he really only got like that when he was around . . . the stupid bastard.

Oh my god, but what did that _mean_? Surely that didn't mean that he was in love with stupid Antonio! Maybe he just reallyreally_really_ liked Antonio- ugh, fuuuck! Stupid! Bastard!

Romano was inside the locker room, changing into his football uniform and then slamming his forehead against the cold metal of his locker, when he felt a familiar calloused hand running through his hair.

"Hey, Roma," Antonio greeted, timbre-like voice echoing in the silence. Damn it! Romano purposely rushed to the locker room to avoid Antonio! He knew that the bastard always had some snacks with the team before preparing for the game!

"What," Romano grumbled, moving his hand away as he pulling his socks taut over his shin guards. He placed his right foot on the bench and began lacing up his pleats, not looking at Antonio. His heart was out of fucking control! It was like his sinoatrial node (yes, he learned from fucking human anatomy and physiology), which controlled the heart rate of an individual, went crazy and decided to send double the electrical impulses in order to make his pulse beat faster than fucking usual!

"Er, did I do something wrong?" asked Antonio quietly, shuffling his feet before sitting down on the bench that the Italian planted his foot upon. "If I did, I'm sorry."

"You didn't . . ." Roma trailed off with a sigh. He switched his foot to fix his other set of laces. "You didn't do anything wrong," he said after a moment of tense silence.

"I didn't?"

"That's what I fucking said, didn't I?" scowled Romano. He didn't like repeating himself, and he didn't like it when people repeated themselves either. He waited for Antonio to say something, or for anyone to interfere. _Mio dio_, why did he kiss this bastard?! Not that Antonio was a bad kisser- but, ugh, fu-

"Then why were you avoiding me?" asked Antonio. Romano thought for a while, and because he didn't have an answer- at the moment, damn it!- he was about to say something along the lines of _it's not your business, asshole_ when Alfred and the other athletes entered in high spirits. They greeted the two, jumping up the bleachers and banging the lockers.

"Let's win this, bro!" yelled Alfred, pumping his fist in the air, totally hyped.

"Maddie's watching the game," Gilbert told Antonio eagerly, a wide grin on his face as he shook Antonio by his shoulders. "And then we're going out to celebrate!"

"That's great, Gil!" Antonio laughed, happy for his best friend. At least Franny wasn't making a big deal about it anymore- especially since he would see Maddie's face lighting up whenever she was with Gil.

While Gilbert unintentionally distracted Antonio, Romano readily slipped away from the noisy team members, and was about to get out of sight when a hand shot out to grab him. Surprised, he glanced behind him to see Antonio with furrowed eyebrows.

"Can we talk later? After the game?" he asked.

"There's nothing to talk ab-"

"Please, Roma," begged Antonio, seriousness entering his tone and expression. "I really need to tell you something."

His heart was pounding in his ears, and Romano should've refused some more, but he couldn't- not when Antonio looked at him like that- so he nodded and licked his lips nervously. Why did he have a feeling that something _huge_ was going to happen later?

* * *

"Yo, that albino can _run_," one of the students from the other school commented with a laugh.

Madehline, or Maddie as her close friends called her, frowned. She uncrossed her arms. That was the _umpteenth_ time she heard someone refer to Gilbert as an _albino_, and she was really, really getting pissed.

"Yeah, man. It's so weird to watch one play football. I think this is the first time I even saw an alb-"

"Pardon me," Maddie started hotly, cheeks burning as she pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose, "but that _albino_ is my _boyfriend_." She glared at them, and had half the mind not to bare her teeth. Francis would frown upon that, and so would her parents, but surely, Francis would've knocked out someone's teeth for calling Gil an albino. And while it may be true that Gil was an albino, and Gilbert might be good at hiding his discomfort when he was called as one, but that didn't mean that these people should use that term! What if the individual who had that disorder didn't _want_ to be labeled like that?

"O-oh-"

"And don't _ever_ refer to my boyfriend as an albino ever again," she scowled. "Or I _will_ hurt you."

One of the guys laughed, and her blood boiled just a little. "How scary," he mocked, twisting the cap on his head to look at her better. He let his eyes wander around, and Madehline curled her fingers on her lap.

Oh, if she only had one of her hockey skates, she would've gladly committed a crime!

"I think," an English-accented voice remarked just above Maddie, "that you lot should leave before I kick you out." Alice, who was sitting on the bleacher behind the Canadian, flipped her hair over her shoulder, glaring at them with green eyes. The boys looked between Maddie and Alice, and then chortled to themselves.

"If you think your twin can scare us, think-"

"Uh, uh, uh," sang a sweet voice from behind Alice and Maddie, and Alice smirked, while Maddie looked around for the familiar voice. Elizaveta was standing up from her seat, which was actually just beside Alice, and cracking her knuckles, stretching her arms over her head as she moved closer to the boys. She wedged herself between Maddie and the boys, leaning close and smoldering them with her eyes. "Don't call him an albino, understand?" She reached down, grabbing the guy's crotch, and squeezing it until it was painful. "He's a dear friend of mine who's a little sensitive about the subject, and I'm sure you wouldn't want _your_ dear friend," a harder twist, "to get upset too, would you?"

"Y-yes," he squeaked.

"What was that?" Elizaveta asked with a malicious smile that matched her dangerous gaze.

"Y-yes, ma'am!" He sighed in relief when she let go, and hurriedly scurried away from the crowd, along with his troop. The people surrounding them had watched, astonished, and when Alice and Elizaveta sent them looks, the bystanders pretended they didn't see anything that happened.

"Great job, Maddie," Alice patted Francis' cousin (how was this sweetheart related to that bloody _frog_?) on the shoulder with a small smile.

"I-I didn't really do anything," Maddie told her while Elizaveta turned around. She sanitized her hands before pinching Maddie's cheeks.

"Oh you're so cute! No wonder why Gil likes you a lot!" Elizaveta exclaimed, pulling her in a hug. When Maddie stiffened in her arms, perhaps due to the fact that Elizaveta was Gilbert's most recent ex-girlfriend, the Hungarian giggled lightly and whispered in her ear, "Don't worry. Gil and I are _over_."

Maddie blushed, and cursed herself for being too obvious, but she smiled at the girls. "Thank you for the help."

"Anything for a sweetheart like you," Alice said.

"I'll defend all cute things!" Elizaveta giggled, offering high-fives to the British senior and the Canadian junior.

* * *

They won- thanks to Antonio for the last and final goal.

It was a close match, what with the other school's goalie, but thankfully, the academy's team managed to slip past the defense and get the ball to Antonio, who did his best to kick the ball into the goal and past the goalie.

The crowd cheered when the game ended, and the football team of Hetalia Academy closed in on one another to briefly celebrate their last win of the season.

"We did it, bro!" yelled Alfred, running towards the team with open arms. Like the rest of the athletes, he was sweating through his uniform, hair sticking to his forehead as he laughed loudly with the other members.

"Great job, Toni!" Gilbert exclaimed, running to tackle-hug his best friend. He wrapped his arms tightly around him. "Man, that was great. I'm glad we won our last high school football game!"

_Oh_, Antonio thought while he hugged Gilbert just as tightly, _that's right. We graduate this year_. A dull pang was sent to his chest, and he immediately looked around for Roma. Romano would make him feel better!

And speak of the devil, as soon as Gilbert released him, Romano appeared, patting his back awkwardly and looking down at his chest. "That was good . . . bastard," he told him.

His spirits were back to its original height once again, and he trapped Romano in a back-crushing hug, burying his face in Romano's sweaty neck. "Gracias, Roma!"

"H-hey! What the fuck are you doing!" the Italian exclaimed, hands on Antonio's shoulders as if to push him away (he did, but weakly). He swore that if Antonio didn't let go now, then the Spanish bastard would feel the increase in his pulse and the overheating of his skin. And what the fuck was he doing putting his face in his neck?! Romano knew that he stunk, especially after this intense game, but Antonio just wouldn't-

Antonio released him with a sheepish grin, and Romano let out a breath. They began lining up in one line, the other school's athletes doing the same, so that they could exchange their customary _good job tonight_'s to end the game on a good note.

Once that was done, the game was officially over and the teams headed their separate ways.

"You aren't coming with us?" asked Alfred, glancing at Gilbert and Maddie. He waved enthusiastically at her; he couldn't help but knowing the Canadian student- people often mistook them as siblings. He wouldn't mind having a sibling! Especially if they were as cute as Maddie!

"Nah," Gilbert grinned, wrapping an arm around Maddie, "we're going somewhere else." The other athletes were already heading back to the locker room to grab their things- and perhaps change into dry, _not sweaty_ clothes.

"_After_ you grab your stuff," reminded Maddie with a smile.

"Gil!" someone called, and they turned to find Elizaveta running towards them with a grin. She tackled Gilbert and released him quickly, patting his back as she jerked thumb towards Maddie. "I like your girlfriend."

"Liz-"

"She almost got into a fight for you, you know! Not with girls, but with _boys_," Elizaveta exclaimed proudly. "They were calling you albino and shit," she explained, and Gilbert knew that if her Austrian boyfriend was here, he would tut at the coarse language she was using, "and Maddie goes and tells them off! There were four boys- it was really-"

She stopped when Gilbert grabbed Maddie and smashed his lips against hers. Alfred's jaw dropped before he began laughing and walking away, ruffling Gilbert's hair in the process. Elizaveta smiled to herself, waited for a moment and realized that they would probably find her presence a nuisance, and so she patted their shoulders and left the scene.

Gilbert pulled away, face warm as he watched Maddie try to regain her composure. She was flustered as well, and her eyes looked brighter than usual.

"I really like you," he breathed, taking her face in his hands again.

"I really like you t-" Maddie didn't get to finish as Gilbert pressed their lips together again.

* * *

"You guys are going on a date, too?" asked Alfred when Romano and Antonio passed him in their jeans and hoodies.

"Yeah," sang Antonio, albeit a little nervously. Romano frowned at the American bastard, and grabbed Antonio's hand. He led them out of the locker room, and they left the school grounds with their hands still together. Romano didn't notice until Antonio pulled him back so they could walk side-by-side. Where they were heading, they didn't know.

Romano slipped his hand out of Antonio's hold, which wasn't firm nor limp; it was gentle. If he would've liked, he could've let his hand stay in Antonio's. But he could slip it out just as easily as he did just now. Roma didn't comment on it. "What do you need to tell me?"

Antonio was quiet. What was he going to say? Was he going to confess? Dio, should he? What would Francis do if he was in this situation? He stared ahead in concentration, burying his hands in hoodie's pocket. "I don't know . . . how to say it."

"Just say it," Romano rolled his eyes, heart rate increasing slightly. "Feli might start worrying if I don't get home soon, you know. He prepared some pasta for me."

The Spaniard remained silent, and it was irking Romano's nerves. He tried to wait it out for another minute, but when Antonio didn't say anything, Romano sighed loudly and stopped. He vaguely noticed that they were in front of a playground that was located two streets away from Antonio's home, and three streets away from his. They must've missed the turn that would lead closer to Romano's address. He crossed his arms and turned to Antonio.

The street lights were already on, Romano realized, and the evening was already dark.

And he was alone with Antonio.

"Come _on_, Antonio. I don't have all night!"

"I just," Antonio started, pulling out his hands to wring them out nervously. His stomach was twisting anxiously, forming imaginary knots that made his heart beat too fast for his liking and his mind to spin uncontrollably. He wasn't aware that he said it until he saw Romano's astonished expression.

"I lo- I like you, Roma."

The Italian gaped for a little while, hands growing clammy and face warming up. His heart was ready to fly out of his fucking chest! He felt his legs go weak, but he refused to collapse or lean on Antonio. He refused, damn it! Romano placed a hand on his temple, rubbing it gently to ease the oncoming headache, to prevent the realization of his _true_ feelings to hit him like a pile of red bricks. "This isn't part of the plan," he sighed softly. His fierce side wasn't coming out, especially because Antonio was confessing to him, and because _maybe_ Romano liked him back.

"This isn't part of my plan either!" Antonio exclaimed, staring at Romano, watching as the younger student stepped back a bit. Now that Antonio began speaking, now that the hardest part was done, he couldn't appear to stop talking. "I was supposed to serenade you with my guitar."

"Antonio-"

"Romano," Antonio moved closer and placed his hands firmly on his shoulders. He looked down at Romano, gaze somber, "Romano, I really like you- m-maybe even love you- and I think I've felt this way for a quite some time now and . . ."

Romano couldn't speak; he swallowed dryly and licked his chapped lips. What the fuck was he supposed to do! Men had advanced on him before, but they weren't special like Antonio! He didn't have any fucking interactions with those weirdos- but Antonio . . . why was he acting like this around this damn bastard?!

"Do you . . . like me, too, Roma?" he asked softly, eyes begging, pleading for Romano to answer. But fuck it, Romano didn't know! Okay, maybe had an idea, but he hadn't admitted it to himself yet! How the fuck was he going to admit that to Antonio when he hadn't admitted it to himself?

He found that there was something about Antonio that caused Romano to pull him down for their second kiss, and Antonio was smiling against his mouth, hands cupping his face and finally feeling Romano's lips on his after days of fantasizing and agonizing. Though Roma's lips were chapped, it didn't fail to make Antonio's heart stutter, and the kiss didn't fail to make Romano's head to spiral dizzily.

He was oblivious that he nearly collapsed at his profound emotions, but Antonio had an arm wrapped around his waist to keep him steady. Their lips moved tenderly against each other's, biting and sucking lightly, and Romano tilted his head, parting his lips so that Antonio could-

A car whizzed by out of the blue, and Romano jumped, pushing the Spaniard away. His cheeks were flushed, like Antonio's, and he wondered if Antonio could see how hard his heart beat against his chest. He stared at him, and Antonio stared back- shocked, confused, _pained_. Romano's heart must've twisted in response, but he paid little attention to his feelings because he started running away without another word.

Romano wasn't mindful of the cold temperature until he left Antonio's arms.


	8. Chapter 8

"Roma?" Feliciano called in concern, knocking on his door.

Just a minute ago, Romano came into the house after slamming the front door, quick yet heavy footsteps echoing as he ran up to his room. Feliciano bit his lip worriedly, having heard from Ludwig (who was present at the game) that their team had beat the other team. What could've possibly gone wrong? Was it because of Antonio? He exchanged a look with their grandpa, who was a business owner of a rather famous Italian restaurant in the city, and then headed up the steps to go see what happened to his older twin.

"I'm not hungry," Romano replied faintly from inside his room.

Feliciano let out a quiet sigh, before he twisted the knob- which his fratello always forgot to lock- and entered his brother's room. "Ve~ but it's your favorite," he said.

"I'll eat it tomorrow, damn it," Romano said, stripping out of his clothes while he headed into the shower. He glanced at Feliciano, eyes unfocused, and with a sigh, he said, "Buonanotte, fratello. I'm just a little tired today."

"Okay," Feliciano replied while his brother stepped into the bathroom. "Buonanotte, Roma."

The next morning, Feliciano made sure that no matter how stubborn Romano was, Feli was going to be _more_ persistent. And even if Romano would threaten him with tomato pudding, he swore to himself that he wouldn't budge! He would do anything to help his fratello with his problem, like how Romano often helped him with his, and if that meant eating tomato pudding, then so be it!

"Buon giorno, fratello!" Feliciano entered his brother's room with a loud greeting, earning a glare from his older twin as soon as he sat up. "The leftover pasta is our lunch today! I had extra, so I brought some for Luddy and big brother Toni, too!"

That caused a pause in Roma's actions. He resumed getting out of his bed a moment later, rubbing his face with his hand in exhaustion- and perhaps a little bit of exasperation- and sighing loudly. However, he didn't mention anything as he walked past his younger twin, grabbing his towel from his chair as he did so.

Feliciano let his fratello shower in peace, because he was going to have to ask a couple of touchy questions later- and, of course, he needed to finish getting ready for school.

Later, the Vargas twins were properly fed and readied for the last school day of the week. They left the house ten minutes earlier than usual, like they did in the past few days to avoid Antonio, and Feliciano readied his resolve and decided to start his interrogation.

"Did you and Toni patch things up?" he asked as soon as they left the porch.

Romano didn't reply, glaring at him and walking past him. "Yeah," he lied through clenched teeth.

"Ve~ it doesn't seem like it!"

"Then why the fuck are you asking me if you don't think we patched things up?" scowled his fratello. Feliciano walked faster to catch up with Romano, eyebrows knitted together.

"Big brother! Let me help! Ve~ I don't like seeing you and big brother Toni fighting," Feli explained, taking hold of Romano's arm so that he could keep up with the older Vargas.

"We're not fighting," Roma replied, exhaling as his cheeks flushed a little. He chewed on his bottom lip, crossing his arms over his chest and looking very much like a shy and confused individual. (Feliciano would never point that out though, because Roma might just headbutt him.)

"Then what's wrong, big bro?" asked Feli. He tightened his hold on his brother's arm. "I'm not going to stop annoying you until you tell me what's wrong," he sang in an irritating manner.

They continued to make their way to the academy. They were crossing the street quickly when they heard an angry _HONK_ and someone yelling _lo siento_. Romano, who suddenly felt warm and cold at the same time, stiffened and dared to turn around to look behind them.

There, running up to the twins, was Antonio, panting heavily while Feliciano greeted him with a bright smile.

"Antonio!"

"Hey," pause, breathe, "Feli." Antonio had his hands on his knees as he caught his breath, and then he looked up, searching for Roma's face- "Roma-"

"Come on, Feli," urged the older Vargas, pulling at his twin so that they could get away from the tall Spaniard. But Feliciano wouldn't move, and Antonio took a step closer and grabbed his arm to stop him from moving.

"Roma, please, let's talk," Antonio was still panting.

"We talked last night, _buttcrotch_, now let go," Romano scowled, trying in vain to shake off Antonio's grip. His face was warm, and he _knew_ that his cheeks were fucking red! Roma wondered if Antonio and his brother could hear the loud and fast thumps of his heart. He hoped not.

"Ve~," Feliciano started, "just talk to him, brother!"

"Please, Roma," pleaded Antonio, and maybe it was because he was being ganged up, maybe it was because Antonio and Feliciano begged for him to agree, but for one reason or another, Romano let his shoulders slack, let a sigh escape his lips, and let his head drop in a nod.

"Fine, damn it."

It didn't go well. Mainly because Romano kept on denying his feelings, kept on hurting Antonio, kept on being _stubborn_. And since Antonio was a persistent dick, he vowed to talk to Roma during their lunch break in hopes of getting an answer.

* * *

Roma had been distracted a lot lately, and Emma was worried. She expressed her concerns to her new good friend, Kat, who was actually in both of her lunch periods. Kat used to eat in the library because she didn't have anyone to eat with before she met Emma.

"And I don't know what's wrong because he wouldn't tell me," Emma explained with a slight pout. She had asked Feliciano about it a few days ago, but he only mentioned that it was '_something about Toni_.' She let out a tiny gasp, looking at Kat with wide, green eyes. "What if Roma and Antonio broke up?"

"Liz told me that she saw them leaving the school together after the game," Kat offered. Emma raised her eyebrows- Kat and Elizaveta were friends? Why she suddenly felt possessive over Kat was beyond her, and she pushed the thought away for a later time. She needed to know what Roma wouldn't tell her!

"They were walking together this morning, too," Emma reflected, though she remembered that Romano looked very tense while Antonio looked like his heart was about to be ripped in two. She had avoided them, only greeted them with a smile and wave, because she didn't want to interfere with what was happening. "But they didn't look like their usual selves."

"I wonder what happened," Kat hummed. She was rather fond of Romano and Feliciano, since they were very sweet to her (well, Feli was sweet to everyone in general while Romano . . . was only sweet to females? That was what Emma told her anyway). Though she had only a handful of encounters with the Vargas twins, she could say that they were very pleasant people. She wouldn't like it if they were down! She didn't like it at all when _anyone_ was down with the blues!

"Should we talk to Roma?" Emma asked.

"I think you should," Kat agreed, taking a bite from her lunch, "I believe that Romano wouldn't enjoy my consoling because we aren't that . . . um, close," she explained when Emma opened her mouth to protest against doing this by herself.

"Why would they fight, though?" Emma exhaled downheartedly. "Roma loves Antonio, and Antonio loves Roma. It's obvious to everyone!"

"Er, maybe they're just adjusting to their relationship," Kat suggested. She used her hands as she elaborated on her thought, "I mean, you told me that they've been good friends since the beginning of last school year, right?" Emma vigorously nodded and Kat continued, "Maybe they're just having a transition phase from, you know, best friends to lovers. That thing."

Emma snapped her fingers together and pulled Kat in a brief hug. "That's perfect! It makes total sense! If that's really the case, I'll have to tell Roma! I'll talk about it to him later! Thanks, Kat!"

Kat smiled and patted Emma's back. "No problem."

* * *

"We brought leftover pasta!" Feliciano announced happily as he sat down with his boyfriend.

Antonio pulled a chair next to Romano's, who still avoided looking at him. He made sure that he was close enough so that they could talk without anyone eavesdropping, yet far enough so that he wasn't invading Roma's personal bubble. He sighed through his nose; perhaps he should just take Romano and the pasta and bring him to the Gourmet Food club. Francis lent him the key, after all.

Feliciano handed Ludwig and Antonio each a tupperware filled with the leftover. He gave them plastic forks, before handing his fratello his lunch.

"So," Feli started as he pulled out his own, "Next week's the week before Thanksgiving break! Are you guys doing anything? Ve~ Fratello and I are just staying home- and maybe help out at _Nonno's _restaurant!"

"I'm staying in the city," Ludwig answered, taking a forkful of pasta.

"Me too," Antonio replied, smiling. Romano didn't say a word.

For the rest of the lunch period, Feli talked, attempting to fill the silence that Antonio and Romano (mostly Roma) brought. Antonio had contemplated on how to talk to Romano during the majority of lunch- and when he finally thought he was ready to start talking, the lunch bell rang and Romano had left the table quickly. Antonio sighed, watching as Romano squeezed through the crowd of students and disappearing out of the cafeteria.

"Don't worry too much about fratello," Feli told Antonio apologetically. "He gets like that when he's trying to figure things out. Ve~ speaking of which," now was his chance to know why Roma was acting this way! If only Antonio would tell him . . . "what happened between you and Roma? He's been acting weird lately."

Antonio allowed his shoulders to drop while he ran his fingers through his dark hair, pulling his bag over his shoulder. "I told him that I really like him."

"Ve?" asked Feliciano in confusion. What? "That's it?"

Antonio nodded. Feliciano and Ludwig exchanged looks after the Spaniard bid them goodbye. "Fratello's really weird," Feli commented later as Ludwig walked him to his next class, "It's obvious that they like each other! I mean, why else would they get into a relationship?"

"Maybe your brother's just scared," Ludwig remarked, remembering his own fear when he began developing emotions for the younger Vargas, "maybe he doesn't want to be vulnerable."

"Well, he would have to be if he wants his relationship to work," Feli replied with a tiny pout. They reached his classroom, and Feli leaned on his toes to kiss Ludwig's cheek. "I'll see you later!"

"Ja," murmured Ludwig as he moved back into the hallway.

Meanwhile, Emma waited for Antonio to enter their chemistry class. The handsome student (she was no longer affected by him!) walked in exactly two minutes before the bell rang, and Emma thought that that was enough time to ask Antonio a few questions.

"Toni!" Emma motioned for the Spaniard to stop by her desk. He did. She looked up at him, eyes meeting his distressed gaze. She startled. "What's wrong?" she asked instead; she hadn't taken a proper look at Antonio since a long time ago, and seeing him like _this_ was not normal.

"It's nothing," he replied with his typical smile.

Emma furrowed her eyebrows. "Did something happen between you and Roma?" she asked in a hushed tone. She didn't like other people to hear about their conversation- especially if it involved her two male friends.

His smile lost the small light it held, and it looked forged. "Something like that," he answered. "He doesn't want to talk to me."

"What? Why?" asked Emma. Her eyes reflected the concern that she was feeling for both Antonio and Roma- though Antonio thought that it was only for the Italian.

"I said something and he didn't like it," Antonio explained. It was as if his heart was about to break- Romano probably hated Antonio! _But he kissed you last night_, his mind argued.

Emma's thoughts jumbled in her mind. Was it a break up? Did Antonio want to break up? It didn't look like it! Neither Antonio nor Roma appeared like they wanted to end the relationship! Kat was probably right about the transition phase!

The bell rang and Emma gave Antonio a determined look. "Don't give up, Antonio. I know Roma likes you enough to not let you go. He's probably just adjusting." With that, she turned around to face the teacher, and Antonio headed to his desk, next to Gilbert, who was already sleeping.

He hoped that Emma was right. He buried his face in his arms, emotions coiling together in his chest. He wanted Roma to like him, to reciprocate his feelings. He wanted it so badly- so, _so_ badly. Antonio exhaled. Damn it. And what did Emma mean by _adjusting_?

* * *

The weekend came and went without much trouble (Feli tried all weekend to get Roma to open up), and the week before Thanksgiving began.

Romano still wouldn't talk to Antonio, however, he had _finally_ started letting his twin in on his problem. They were walking to school, Feli's arm hooked in Romano's again while Romano buried his hands in his coat pockets.

"Just go with your feelings, fratello," Feliciano urged. They left fifteen minutes earlier now, because Romano was sure as fuck that Antonio's Spanish ass wouldn't leave the bed early due to the colder climate- and he was right. They didn't hear any angry honks, or any breathless _lo siento_, when they crossed the street. The older Vargas chewed on his lip while his thoughts were, once again, dominated by Antonio.

"But it's Antonio," sighed Roma.

"Ve~ and Antonio loves you," Feli stated, as if it was a fact. Romano wanted to believe it, but there was something that was holding him back. He didn't know _why_ he couldn't just fucking accept everything as easily as Feliciano did! Damn Feli and his agreeable personality!

Romano was quiet. He didn't know what to say. What _should_ he say to that?

"Roma," Feliciano suddenly took on a more serious pitch, something his brother rarely did and _only_ did if it was called for. Romano turned to him in surprise. "I know you're scared," he started.

"I am _not_ fucking scared! Dipshit!"

Feliciano continued with that patient and deliberate tone, ignoring his twin's outburst, "But when you're in a relationship, you kind of have to be vulnerable."

"No, I don't," growled Romano. He glared ahead of them. The school was nearing, and there weren't many students entering the academy yet because it was still a little too early.

"Ve~ if you want your relationship to work, then you _have_ to share yourself," Feli explained.

Romano didn't reply once again. He didn't want to be fucking vulnerable! Especially to the Spanish bastard!

"Think about it, Roma," Feli said softly, rubbing his head against Romano's. He was surprised that his brother didn't headbutt him, or push his head away (Roma really hated it when Feliciano rubbed his head against his). But Romano was deep in his thoughts, too deep to notice his brother's stupid smile and stupid head-rubbing.

* * *

Romano thought about it all day- about that vulnerability shit.

He didn't like it at all, but he hated it when Antonio tried to talk to him and had that look of sorrow on his face. He hated how Antonio was being completely open about his feelings for him- how could he _do_ that? What kind of poison did he drink so that he could be so fucking free with his emotions? How could he be so _vulnerable_?

Antonio didn't skip calculus today, and had only tried to talk to Roma when they saw each other in the hallways, but Romano was defiant. He wouldn't talk to Antonio because he was messing up his thoughts, and it was pissing him off, and his emotions were dicking around everywhere, and his body reacted differently to the bastard and-

"Roma," Emma lightly touched his shoulder to bring him back to reality, and Roma jumped slightly, "just forgive Antonio for what he did."

"Huh?" Romano blinked at her. He caught Kat watching him as well, with concern all over their expressions.

"Antonio told me that he said something you didn't want to hear," Emma told him, brushing her blonde hair behind her ear. "And he looked really sad."

"I-" Roma stopped, looking away from them, and stared at his lunch instead. "I-it's-" His heart raced, and he subconsciously brought his fingers to his lower lip, thinking of that _kiss_\- damn it! Damn it, damn it, damn it! He could feel some of the pasta sauce on it, and he quickly grabbed his handkerchief (yes, he fucking carried those around; he was a damn gentleman!) to wipe it away furiously. His face was burning. "It's not like . . ."

"It's not like, what?" Emma urged, noticing Romano's flustered expression.

"Nevermind," Romano said, shaking his head.

"Is it hard?" Emma asked out of the blue, watching Romano. The Italian stared back at her, unaffected by the greenness of her pretty eyes. The color in his cheeks decreased until it finally went away. He was almost rendered speechless when he realized that he was no longer bothered by her close proximity.

"What's hard?" he asked slowly.

"To adjust to your new relationship with Antonio?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"You know," Emma gestured with her hands, "changing from best friends to lovers? Is it hard?"

"We . . . didn't . . ." Romano trailed off. His mind was already clogged with thoughts of Antonio and his feelings, and though he knew Emma was only trying to help out, he couldn't help but be a little irritated. "Can we talk about something else?" he exhaled instead.

Emma opened her mouth to ask why, but Kat placed a hand on her shoulder and shook her head. Romano sent a grateful smile towards the Ukrainian student, and proceeded to drown in his thoughts and feelings.

* * *

The last Wednesday before break, Emma was heading to the bathroom during her science class when she heard voices in the Gourmet Food club room. She wasn't going to eavesdrop or anything- but she heard Antonio's voice and, well, she kind of _had_ to. She paused and took a couple of steps back by the door, so that she could hear what they were talking about. Carefully, she pressed her ear on the cool wooden surface of the door and listened.

"So you didn't serenade him?" a French-accented voice asked.

"No," Antonio replied faintly.

She heard a scoff, and a loud German voice exclaimed, "Franny! Weren't you listening?!"

Emma wasn't familiar with the other two members of the _Bad Touch Trio_, which consisted of Antonio and his two other best friends- Francis and Gilbert- who used to create a lot of mischief back in the day. Her brother always told her to stay away them, and she did. She was actually pretty terrified of them, since she heard a lot of the things that they had done. How Antonio could be part of this group, she didn't know.

"Roma won't talk to me anymore," cried Antonio.

"We know. You've been repeating that, like, a million fucking times now," Gilbert, the German part of the trio, said rather sarcastically.

"I think he hates me."

No one spoke. Emma wanted to go in there and tell them that _no_, Roma loved Antonio, and he was just trying to adapt to this best-friends-became-lovers relationship, and-_  
_

"Oi! You there!" Emma jumped, and turned to see Elizaveta's boyfriend, that Austrian student with the glasses and mole- Rode . . . Roderich? Yeah, that was it!

"O-oh, hi!" Emma greeted, voice going up an octave. She cleared her throat. "I was just getting back from the bathroom," she explained.

"Why were you pressing your-"

"I was just- E-Elizaveta told me to check something. Anyway!" Emma looked at him, with an unwavering gaze, "What are _you_ doing?"

"I had to run an errand for the conductor," Roderich replied, and it was then that the blonde girl noticed the stack of papers- which were likely to be music sheets- in his hands. He continued to scrutinize her doubtfully. "Are you sure you're not skipping?"

"I'm Tim's little sister! Of course I don't skip," she said.

That must've given her some type of credibility because he nodded- though the look of suspicion never left his face- and left a moment later. Emma sighed when Roderich disappeared by the end of the hallway, thankful that some people found Tim responsible and . . . maybe a little bit intimidating. She began her way back to her class and sped up her pace when she heard a door click open and then shut. She hoped it wasn't the Gourmet Food club's door. But if it was, hopefully, the Bad Touch Trio didn't see her.

* * *

That Wednesday afternoon, after convincing his twin that he would be home shortly after finishing an errand, Romano entered the Magic club as soon as he deemed that the coast (hallway) was clear.

He heard about the club countless of times. Apparently, Alice and some other dude were the only members of the club, so it shouldn't be hard to . . . er, get what he was looking for.

The room was dim, curtains hiding the sunlight from entering the room. Any electrical light was turned off. There were only candles spread out here and there to light up parts of the place. Romano gulped nervously and cautiously moved towards the candlelit pathway, sweeping his eyes around the area. The desks were arranged to the side, with ancient-looking books on some, and odd-looking chemicals in some test tubes and bottles. He wondered if he should _really _get on with his plan. This place was fucking freaky!

But then, an image of Antonio popped up in his head with that stupid look on his face, and he sighed. Yup. He was getting on with this plan.

"Who goes there?" asked Alice.

Romano jumped up, hand flying up to his chest because fucking hell! Alice was being really creepy suddenly appearing in front of him with a fucking cloak on!

"Good evening, and welcome to the Magic club," a male student greeted with a small smile, also appearing from nowhere. He had red eyes (were those fucking contacts?), and shaggy hair that looked like a strawberry-blonde color in the terrible lighting.

"Oh, Romano," Alice peered at him curiously, crossing her arms over her chest. "Is there something I can help you with?"

"U-um," started Romano. He twisted his hands in front of him nervously. "Do you make, er, potions?"

"That's our specialty," she replied. "What do you need it for?"

"I, uh, need to . . . come terms with my f-feelings," Romano said, shifting his weight on his foot anxiously. Damn, this place gave him goosebumps! In the bad fucking way!

"So, just something to make you . . . honest with your feelings?" Alice had heard about the happenings between Antonio and Romano (from Francis and Elizaveta), and she knew that this was, most likely, directly linked to that case.

"Yes," Romano said. With clammy hands, he pulled out his wallet and readied himself for a price. He hoped it wouldn't cost his soul. God, that would suck. "How much do-"

"It's on the house, love," Alice replied sweetly, reaching out to pat Romano's arm. "Come back tomorrow, same time. I'll have it ready by then."

* * *

**i'm really sorry for the late update guys! tmrw's the last chapter (which might be a late update too, depending on how long it becomes)! WOOOOO! thank you so much for reading! :D one day, hopefully, i'll get to edit the whole story hahahaha XD**


	9. Chapter 9

After sending a quick _I'll see you at home_ text message to his younger twin the next afternoon, Romano made his way towards the Magic club, and entered the room quietly.

"Alice?" he called, cringing a little at how loud his voice sounded in the quiet place. He hesitantly followed the candlelit path and stood at the same spot from yesterday.

"You're back," Alice smiled widely, appearing from the room's closet. She was holding something hidden underneath her cloak, and when she pulled it out and gave it to Romano, her smile turned softer. "This will help you come to terms with your feelings, as well as express them easier- if you wish to do so, that is. You have complete control over whether or not you express your emotions."

Romano looked at the vial with some oddly-colored substance. He couldn't even distinguish the color! It looked downright poisonous. Like a snake's venom. Mio dio, he was so nervous. "This won't kill me, will it?"

"It shouldn't," Alice replied lightly, and when Romano paled, she chuckled a little to herself. "Of course it won't. It's very safe."

"D-don't joke like that, Alice," Romano frowned, and the older student laughed.

"You're so cute and fun to tease," she told him. The other member appeared out of the closet as well, carrying a heavy book out. He smiled at Romano, and the latter gulped. "Anyway, I advise that you use it soon. Don't want it to expire."

"Potions can expire?" Romano asked with incredulity. He looked at the vial, and wondered- for the millionth time since he requested for this- if he should _really_ get help from this black magic stuff. But, surely, without it, he would never come to terms with his fucking feelings! All he needed was a little (a lot) more push, and he would accept his feelings- admit it to himself and tell it to Antonio's fucking stupid face!

"Indeed," Alice replied. "They're just like medications."

"Are there any side-effects?" Romano asked. If he was taking this damn magical potion, he might as well know _everything_ about it. He didn't want to wake up with an extra limb or a fucking tail or turn into a fucking rabbit. "How long does this last?"

"There are no side-effects," Alice answered, "and, hmm." She paused and shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know how long it lasts. It can probably last for a whole week. A minimum of three days, since that vial is a little small," she explained. "Surely, you'd have your feelings figured out by then."

"When I drink this, do I get affected immediately?"

"Yup."

Romano examined the tiny container in his hand, twirling it around so that he could see the what kind of weird things the substance did. It looked normal. "How can I trust you?" After all, it was clear that Alice didn't particularly like Antonio and Francis, and she had definitely butted heads with Gilbert at one point or another during their years in high school.

"Oh bloody hell, Romano," Alice exhaled, rolling her green eyes. "Just take it! I'm not some witch out to get innocent victims!" He didn't comment on that, and she placed her hands on her hips. "Alright, I may look like it, but I'm definitely not! I assure you!"

"Really?"

"_Really_!"

Romano chewed on his lip and stepped back, placing the vial in his coat's pocket. "Okay," he said, nodding his head, "thanks."

"You're welcome," Alice replied, annoyance instantaneously leaving her tone and body language. She even walked him to the door. "Good luck on whatever you're planning to do," she added before shutting the door behind Romano.

"Thanks," Romano said under his breath. He needed that luck.

* * *

That night, the substance in the vial looked even stranger.

It seemed to shine whenever the light passed through it, and the color was dark blue-green. Romano placed it on top of his bedside table, right next to his digital clock, and sighed heavily.

If he died because he drank this potion, he would probably be content with it because he would've finally admitted to himself that he . . . l- he . . . Antonio . . . ugh, damn it. Why couldn't he even fucking _think_ it? At times like these, he despised his stubborn quality.

With a groan, he turned his light off and buried himself in his bed. It was only in his dreams that he openly expressed his feelings for the damn bastard, but Romano would never remember a thing in the morning.

* * *

Antonio hadn't had the chance to talk to Roma for the whole week. The Italian was very skilled at avoiding him, and even mastered the art of ignoring the Spaniard. Even so, though his spirits were damped, his friends continued to encourage him to pursue Romano. Francis, Gilbert, Feliciano, Emma- they were all very supportive.

Friday ended like any other day this past week- with Romano escaping his sight as soon as Antonio spotted him and only responding when Antonio got _too_ persistent- and he felt . . . a little more deflated than usual. Francis and Gilbert could see it, and suggested that they have some kind of Bad Touch Trio get-together at Francis' place.

They preferred Francis' place because a) Ludwig was always busy at home and they didn't want to distract him, and b) Antonio's place was far too near Romano's, and that little Italian had been the hot topic among the trio these past couple of days.

Anyway, Gilbert and Antonio decided to spend the night at Francis' place that Friday to discuss what Antonio's next step should be. They were sitting around in Francis' room, eating ordered-pizza with the TV on but with a low volume. It was showing some action movie, but they weren't interested.

Usually, all three of them would only be in their boxers whenever they had their get-togethers (otherwise known as sleepovers, but Gilbert thought it was a girly term to use), but the weather had them wearing their t-shirts.

"I still think you should serenade him," Francis said, wiping the fatty oil from his fingers with a napkin.

"And if that doesn't work?" asked Antonio, turning to the TV and thinking of Roma. He doubt that serenading Romano would woo him. Especially with the treatment the Spaniard was receiving from Roma, he was highly certain that Romano didn't tolerate his presence anymore.

"Don't be pessimistic," Francis reprimanded gently. He touched Antonio's shoulder lightly, and startled when Antonio turned hard green eyes on him.

"I'm being realistic," Antonio replied. He placed the pizza down and wiped his fingers on a few napkins. He stared at the floor, expression filled with unhappiness. "I really don't think Romano likes me. A-and he probably doesn't want me to be his friend anym-"

"Fine," Francis cut, making Antonio look up at him in surprise, "As long as that makes you happy."

"Oh come on, man!" exclaimed Gilbert, reaching out to clasp Antonio's back with his non-greasy hand. "Don't give up! You never give up!" whined Gilbert.

"Does giving up on Romano make you happy?" Francis asked.

"No- but-" The hardness in his eyes went away, and Antonio looked more like his typical self- confused and gentle-hearted.

"Then don't give up!" Francis exclaimed. "Feliciano and Emma even said that Roma returns your feelings! All he needs is a little push-"

"More like a fucking _lot_," Gilbert commented, shaking his head.

"-and you two will be good," finished Francis. He took a bite out of his pizza once again. "This Thanksgiving break is the perfect time to push Roma into Antonio's arms! What do you think, Gilbert?"

Gilbert grinned, red eyes shining brightly. "Hell yeah!"

* * *

Okay. Today was Saturday, the fucking day Romano might die.

There wasn't anyone at his home, what with his nonno and fratello leaving to tend to the business in the city's downtown, and the vial he had been staring at seemed to inch closer and closer each minute that passed. With shaky hands and a fast-beating heart, Romano sent a quick prayer to God and hoped that this would help him with his, er, feelings for Antonio. He didn't know if God would forgive him, but damn it, he just wanted to get his feelings out of his chest, and maybe make Antonio smile that smile he hadn't seen in a while.

He untwisted the cap, and stared at the vial anxiously. This. Is. It. The vial wasn't bubbling with magic, nor was it doing anything out of the ordinary. It simply looked . . . well, murderous. Dangerous. Poisonous. He screwed his eyes shut, pinched his nose because he didn't want to taste the damn thing, and placed the tip of the vial to his lips. Okay, just-

Romano pulled it away before he could tip it over. His heart was pounding viciously in his chest, and his hands were shaking. He was terrified. What if he never got to tell Antonio what he felt?

"Mio dio," Romano growled at the vial in his hand. It taunted him a little, and he was tempted to shake the contents out and forget about the whole damn thing. He swallowed, thinking of Antonio and his sweet lips and his stupid handsome face and his annoying happy personality. His heart swelled, and he glared at the potion in his grip.

"Alright, Romano," he talked to himself, standing up from his bed as he paced around. "Alright. Alice said that it was very safe. This is very safe. Magic is very safe," he chanted to himself. "Black magic is _very safe_. Alice is a safe person. She made a safe potion."

He paused. Should he write a note to his family? To Antonio?

"Safe potion equals no death. Safe potion equals happy and maybe expressive Romano," Romano added instead. He lifted it back to his lips and pinched his nose. Screwing his eyes one last time, he tipped the potion over and let the substance wash over his tongue, heading straight down to his throat.

He waited for his heart to constrict and stop beating, waited for his throat to burn, waited for _something painful_ to happen- but none came. After a minute, he let go of his now-red nose, opened his eyes, and licked the inside of his mouth.

It tasted sweet. Like sugar.

"Okay," Romano said, relief surrounding his once-tense body. "I'm not dead." His voice echoed a little in his room. He rested back on his bed, waiting some more. So . . . was there something weird that was supposed to happen?

Well, besides the quick beating of his heart and the bizarre heating of his face, nothing odd happened. What was he going to do now? How was he going to come to terms with his feelings? Would it just suddenly click into one piece? Ugh, fuck it! Whatever! He was going to talk to himself out loud. He just hoped that this would work.

"Feelings," he started hesitantly lying down on his bed and folding his arms behind his arms as he stared up at the ceiling. He couldn't believe that he was addressing abstract subjects. "Come to me now!"

Nope, nothing happened.

"Er," Romano tried again, squeezing his eyes shut. What now? Would it just come out naturally? He didn't know! Damn, was this magic real or just a fucking rip-off?! But Romano was already saying his next words before he even became aware-

"Um, I . . . guess . . . I like Antonio," he said slowly into the silence. The air appeared to stop, even the quiet humming of his sleeping laptop abruptly went silent, like they were astonished to hear the Italian say such affectionate words. The words, however, felt foreign in his mouth but he felt his chest go lighter. His mind was suddenly at peace, and everything clicked into place, and he wondered- really wondered- why he found it so hard to admit his own feelings.

"Damn it," Romano buried his fingers in his hair, turning around in his bed to bury his face into his pillow. "Fucking damn it, I really like that bastard." His heart was doing those fast _thudthudthud_ in his chest, and he could feel his whole body warm up at the thought of telling Antonio. But, surprisingly, he found that he liked hearing his feelings out loud, because it meant that he didn't need to keep it buried deep inside.

Seriously, why was it so difficult to come to terms with his emotions? It wasn't that fucking hard!

This was probably the potion's doing, and perhaps when the potion wore off, he would be back to his old self but at least . . . at least Antonio would know that he liked him back, right?

God, he hoped Antonio didn't resent him for treating him like shit this past week (and the week before that).

* * *

It was one o'clock in the afternoon when Feliciano returned home. He left his nonno to go check on his brother, who was probably still asleep. Romano liked to sleep in during the breaks, and usually helped out at the restaurant during the middle of the week when he finished catching up on his sleep.

He was about to shut the door when the doorbell rang, and Feliciano slightly pulled the door back. Surprised to see a familiar face, Feliciano clumsily stepped aside and opened the door wider. "Big brother Toni! What are you doing here?" Feliciano glanced at the guitar hanging on the back of the Spaniard, and then flicked his eyes back to the taller individual.

"I'm here to see Roma," he laughed nervously, playing with the edge of his hoodie. He was only wearing a pair of jeans and worn running shoes, along with his favorite _Vamos Espana_ hoodie. "Is your brother here?"

"He's probably still asleep," Feliciano motioned for Antonio to step inside the warmth of the Vargas residence. Antonio smiled gratefully and moved inside, twisting his hands anxiously once again. The younger Vargas hoped- he dearly hoped- that Romano was awake and in a good mood. He hoped and prayed in the previous night that some miracle would happen between Roma and Antonio, so that the two could go back to their nice and easygoing relationship. He really hated seeing Antonio brokenhearted, and Roma calloused.

"Ve~ come with me," he said softly. Though he knew that Antonio knew where Romano's room was located, Feliciano wasn't prepared for any bloodshed, so he needed to be there just in case. "I just got back from the restaurant and I'm just checking on Roma," he explained as they went up the steps. They headed to the end of the hallway; Romano's room was silent.

Antonio's heart was thudding eagerly- troubled and edgy, ready to explode. If Romano turned him away today, he wouldn't give up. He _wouldn't_! He would try another way to woo Romano, another way to capture his heart, another way to show Romano that he had strong feelings for him. _Don't give up_, Francis told him earlier this morning before he left the Bonnefoy's household.

Feliciano placed a finger on his lips, signaling that Antonio should keep quiet, and then turned the doorknob to peek into Romano's room. He jumped. "Fratello!"

"What are you doing, creeping around like that?" Romano asked. The door was abruptly pulled wide, and Antonio faced Romano with a bright smile, covering what uneasiness he felt. "Antonio? What the fuck are you doing here?"

"A-Ah, Roma! About that, I was-"

"Never fucking mind." He surprised Antonio by grabbing his arm and pulling him inside his room. He sent a glare to Feliciano, daring him to comment, but the younger Vargas had already stepped back and let the door fall shut. When Feliciano stayed outside the room, with the intention of eavesdropping (he wanted to make sure that nobody got hurt, okay! Not just to satisfy his curiosity!), he heard Romano growl, "Feliciano, you better not be listening on us! If you are, I'm going to fucking pour tomato pudding all over your damn room!"

"I'm not!" squeaked Feliciano, moving away from Romano's room as quickly and smoothly as possible. He went down to the living room, and then left a note on the table before he headed back to the restaurant. He didn't want to be a witness or suspect to second-degree murder that his twin might do. Just kidding- Romano couldn't even hurt a fly!

Back in Romano's room, Antonio shifted restlessly in front of the older Vargas. He placed his guitar down on the side, carefully adjusting it so that it aligned with Roma's wall. And then, he adjusted it again. And again. And- there.

The silence was tense, awkward- they both hated it. But Antonio didn't know what to say. He couldn't just abruptly whip out his guitar and start serenading Roma- the Italian would probably sock him in the face!

Romano, on the other hand, was wondering how he was going to go about his, er, confession. He wasn't prepared for the early confession; he was planning to repeat _I like you Antonio_ to himself for the rest of the day to get used to saying it! But here the bastard was, showing up three hours after Romano admitted his feelings to himself aloud.

He took a deep breath. Antonio looked at him, attentive. The Spaniard was chewing on his lower lip, rocking back and forth on his heels.

"Antonio," Romano began, heart in his ears. He could _hear_ the pounding of his heart. He glared at the floor. He thought of the potion, and then looked at Antonio, and then his pulse increased a little more and his lips started working easily. He looked at the bastard's chest. He was wearing his stupid _Vamos Espana_ hoodie. "Antonio, you fucking bastard. If you think I hate you, you're damn wrong, because I-" a pause, "I-" another pause, and he lifted his gaze to meet Antonio's wide green eyes, his shocked expression, "I like you, damn it."

His reaction wasn't fast. In fact, it was rather _slow_. Antonio's body stopped showing his nervousness, and even appeared like he froze. And then he moved: first, it was his lips, and when no words came out, he moved closer to Roma, wrapping the younger male in his arms. He tucked Romano's face into his neck and buried his fingers in Romano's hair. He placed his chin on top of Roma's head and tightened his arms around him. "You mean it?"

Romano breathed deeply, fisting the front of Antonio's hoodie in his hands. He nodded quietly.

"Say it again," Antonio urged, smile evident in his voice. Romano didn't like Emma! Romano liked _him_\- Antonio Fernandez-Carriedo! Oh dios, he was so happy!

"No way."

"Please?" Antonio asked, fingers dancing dangerously close to that curl that Romano told him to stay away from.

With a burning face, Romano mumbled, "I like you . . . bastard."

"I like you, too," Antonio replied. Was this how it felt like to be elated? He felt like he had all the energy in the world! He felt like lifting Romano in his arms and spinning him around, but he wouldn't because Romano would definitely stop being cute like this. His heart was ready to- to _burst_! He felt so happy! So ecstatic! Romano liked him back!

"You're hugging me too tightly, stupid," Romano muttered, letting his arms slide around Antonio's back. He pressed his ear against his chest and heard the fast thumping of Antonio's warm, warm heart. He smelled nice, and he was so comfortable to hug, and-

"Hey Roma?" Antonio pulled away a little to look down at Romano. The bastard was blushing! Romano wanted to laugh at him, tell him he looked silly, but he knew that he probably looked the same- maybe even worse. "Can I kiss you?"

"It's too fucking late to ask questions like that," Romano remarked, rolling his eyes. He pulled Antonio's lips down on his, tasting a little bit of Antonio's lunch (tomatoes?) when Antonio opened his mouth to protest.

"It's just that," kiss, "you've," kiss, lick, "been the one," kiss, kiss, "mm- initiating it, and I thought-"

"You talk too fucking much," Romano frowned and pulled away, without any irritation lacing his tone or features. Antonio smiled sheepishly and pressed their foreheads together.

"But you like me, right?"

"Yeah, yeah," grumbled Romano. And just for the heck it, because the potion was still working, "I like you."

This time, it was Antonio who captured Romano's lips in a searing kiss.

* * *

"What the bloody hell do you want, you frog?" asked Alice as she answered her phone. It was the Tuesday of the break, and she was busily studying a new set of spells and potions when a French frog called and disturbed her peace. She would've ignored the call, she really would've, but she and Francis were good friends. On the down-low.

"_So I heard that you gave Romano a potion, eh?_"

"Uh huh, and?" she sighed. "It shouldn't have killed him," Alice added. After all, the ingredients were mundane!

"_Nothing. I just wanted to congratulate you for actually doing something right_," Francis replied on the other end, laughing that one annoying laugh. "_Apparently, you didn't charge him for anything. How come you charged me for that one potion I requested from you? That isn't fair, you know._"

"I'll let you in on a secret," Alice smiled, leaning back on her chair. "What he drank wasn't a potion. What I gave _you_ was a potion. Plus, I like Romano better anyway."

"_Wait a minute! Romano didn't drink any potion?_" asked Francis in disbelief.

"Nope," hummed Alice happily. "I didn't want to waste my precious ingredients on him. It was just sugar water and some food coloring."

"_That's mean_," Francis cried. "_What kind of nonsense did you feed that young boy?!_"_  
_

"I just told him that if he drank it, he'll 'come to terms' with his feelings and express it better," she explained. Alice stretched her arms over her head. "It's all psychological." She paused when she heard her phone ring with another call. She checked the caller I.D. and her cheeks flushed. "I'm hanging up now."

"_Hey- wait a-_" Click. Alice stared at the phone in her hand, and then answered the call, leaning on her desk with her hand gripping her phone tightly.

"What is it, Alfred?" she asked, feigned annoyance present in her tone.

"_Hey Alice! 'was just wondering if you wanted to watch the movies later! I heard that that creepy show you really want to watch is still playing in the theatres__!_" His loud voice made her pull the phone away from her ear, but she replied. With irritation, nonetheless.

"As long as you're paying."

"_Cool! I'll stop by your place soon!_" Click. Alice sighed and rubbed at her temples. Why the did she agree? Why was she such a _twonk_ around that stupid dumbass?

* * *

**epilogue**

* * *

Romano Vargas had a huge problem.

He scowled at the pasta plate in front of him. His boyfriend, Antonio Fernandez-Carriedo, had graduated and was going to move away by the end of summer. Every single time his friends- Emma and Kat, who had a relationship that was almost similar to his and Antonio's- tried to steer him away from that thought, he would sigh and sulk. The stupid bastard was moving away! And Antonio had promised multiple times that he wasn't going to be too far away- but he was! He was going to be four fucking hours away, damn it.

"Don't look so down, Roma!" Antonio told him. They were in Romano's room, sitting in front of his laptop as they watched useless but funny YouTube videos. He nudged Roma's shoulder. "I'll try to visit you as much as I can. And you should visit me, too!"

"I don't want to meet whoever your roommate's going to be," Romano growled. He stabbed his pasta and took a forkful.

"You know," Antonio started a moment later, "I think Ludwig's graduating early this year. By the end of the semester or something."

Suddenly, Romano turned to Antonio, amber eyes lighting up. "I have a plan."

Antonio smiled, letting his fingers run through Roma's hair, lightly touching that one curl that stuck out on his head. Ever since he learned what happened when he touched that curl, Antonio wouldn't stop "accidentally" caressing it. "Can you tell me all about it after I kiss you?"

"Fuck you," growled Romano, but he allowed Antonio to kiss him anyway. He liked the bastard too much.

* * *

**Thanks to Shan, my awesome fairy godmother for the great tips hahaha! I don't know if this chapter would suffice, but i'm on a time crunch and I still need to study for bio! thank you so much to those who read and reviewed and favorite-d and followed! Thanks so much guys! i love you! i don't think i'll be back for a few weeks bcz i'll be busy with other things :'( but anyway, thanks again and i love you guys soOooo much! :***


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